long time, no blog --sorry!

Every day I have thought of blogging, then decided to wait until I get home to put pictures with the blog -but truthfully -after 8hours of working and almost 2 of driving -I am beat when I get home and I forget.

So let's start at the beginning and I will add pictures over the weekend....

*Steven shaved his head for St. Baldricks -he raised over $300 and I am so proud of him for really putting effort into this very good cause. Thank you all for helping him!

*both boys started their baseball seasons... Jackson's team is 4-0, while Steven's team is 0-3. It is just the beginning though and there is a long season in front of us. Jackson is playing mostly outfield and a bit of 3rd base, he seems to get hit by a pitch every game, but at least he is on base. Steven is playing mostly 1st, a bit of 3rd or catcher and he pitched the other night. He is making contact and getting on base consistently.

* Steven was accepted at Jesuit High School !!!! He is so excited about this new adventure and we are so proud of him! He is 1 of 262 incoming freshman out of 723 applicants. More info after we go to a meeting 4/10.

* Both boys are enjoying their first week of spring break at home with their dad.. some fun, some work, lots of hanging out...

* next week I am off Weds until Tuesday with them for the 2nd week of break.. can't wait!!

*April 1st I get to go part time!!! I got a permanent position in evaluations and will be moving over there after my time off. I will be working 2.5 days a week instead of 5 and we are all looking forward to it. This was my goal --so happy to have it happen so soon so as to not have to worry about summer vacations.

*we are headed to Brian & Cyn's tonight to celebrate my moms birthday (which is tomorrow). I am looking forward spending time with the family.

*Steven will be confirmed in the Catholic church on April 15th... such an exciting time

*Steven also started his career as an umpire. He is umpiring the level Jackson plays and enjoys it. He gets paid $20 a game once a month. He is anticipating his first payday. he isn't getting alot of games right now, as he has conflicts on Wednesdays with Confirmation, and thats when most of the games are. He is excited about his first job though!

I think that is about it for now... I will try to get pictures up this weekend.

Wednesday thoughts

I have so many things running thru my head.. lot's going on and a crazy schedule!

• Reconcilliation mass tonight with Stevenin preparation for Confirmation
  
• Steven registers for Woodcreek high school tomorrow -as a just in case
• 1.5 days to go before my 3 day weekend and the boys one too!
  
• 3 days until Woodcreek little league opening day --Play Ball!
• 5 days until my kiddo shaves his head for St. Baldricks
• one week to St. Patricks Day --love that day!!
  
• in 2 weeks Jesuit will mail the acceptance letters --almost there.
  
• 3 weeks until my spring break vacation with the boys... I took 2 days and get almost a full week off -- now to figure out if we are going to do anything or just stay home...
  
• 5 weeks until Steven's Confirmation at church. So happy about this....
  

Don't know what else is happening... these are the things on my mind right now. Now, if I could just remember to buy the pepper so I can get my menu back on track... oh well, pork chops instead for tonight.

Menu Plan Monday

Today is Monday, March 8th
Outside my window... the sky is grey with blue and white streaks. It looks like it might be a nice day, probably not as wonderful as yesterday, but nice enough. Yesterday was such a blessed day. It was about 68 degrees here!! Jonathan and I went together to watch Jackson's baseball practice and it was nice to have a couple hours to just hang out together, outside in the sunshine! We dropped Jack off, went to Starbucks and were back by the time practice started. We sipped our drinks, chatted and watched. I have to say that I am totally impressed by Jackson's coaches. They really seem to know what they are doing and are taking everything slow and building on the fundamentals. Jackson is enjoying himself and the practices. I liked that the coaches complimented the boys often and were gentle with their constructive criticisms. I liked that the coaches stressed that the boys only have control of their preparations, not the game and so they should be sure to make the most of the preparations.

I am thinking... that I do love baseball season, even with the craziness that it brings!

I am thankful for... all the blessings my family has. Life is good.

From the kitchen... I put a marinated pork roast in the crockpot this morning -so we'll be having shredded pork tacos tonight.

I am wearing... comfy attire so I can go workout at Curves on my lunchbreak without much fuss.

I am going... to see Steven play in a scrimmage game tonight.. can't wait to see how the team looks. They've only had one practice due to the rain... so we'll see how it goes.

I am hoping... that the rain is finished for now... Opening day for baseball is Satuday!


A few plans for the rest of the week: work, baseball and looking forward to Friday! The boys are off from school and it's my furlough day -so we get the whole day off together!

I want to say a big THANK YOU!! to all who have supported Steven's fundraising for St. Baldrick's. He will be shaving his head on March 15th and I am hoping to have video taken of it so I can watch (and share with you all!) when I get home from work. He is still looking to raise more money to benefit childhood cancer research.. if anyone wants to check out his page it's here.

OOPS. I published without the menu plan part of the post... my bad.

Monday -shredded pork tacos
Tuesday -sausage and peppers
Wednesday- spaghetti with l/o sausage and peppers
Thursday - tacos
Friday - tortellini alfredo
Saturday - chicken of some sort (hopefully grilled!)
Sunday - tri-tip, baked potatoes

Menu Plan Monday

I am pleased to say that I woke up this morning refreshed and ready to start my week. What a difference a weekend of rest makes after 2 weeks of feeling yucky.


Unfortunately, Jackson has been complaining (almost daily) of a stomach ache in the morning. I have been trying to be patient, cajoling him into getting up & moving, eating a little something and he is feeling better by the time we need to leave. I must admit however, that this is really energy draining on a good day and since I am not a morning person, it really gets my day going on the wrong path. I am now on a quest to figure out what is going on. My initial thought: stress. I wonder if my going back to work is causing the stomach pains.. I hope not, but he has endured a huge shift in his life without saying much at all. Second thought: allergies. I am going to run with this one because I know that any amount of gunk draining from my sinuses to my tummy make me feel icky. So I have started giving him a daily allergy pill to dry everything up.... please let there be a difference!

I spent a good chunk of time over the weekend planning our menu for March and getting the necessary grocery items to last us until my furlough day on Friday. I am keeping it penciled in until I see Steven's baseball schedule.. but at least I have a plan for now.

This week looks like this:

Monday: Carnitas, tortillas, refried beans, corn and maybe rice?
Tuesday: spaghetti with meatballs
Wednesday: Pot pie (made with (1)leftover carnitas (1) frozen turkey)
Thursday: tacos
Friday: Steven & Jonathan are headed to Stockton for a hockey game, they'll eat out, it's Friday so I 'll probably have scrambled eggs and Jack gets what he can find.
Saturday: sloppy joes (made on Thursday so only cooking beef 1x --plus they taste better after sitting in the sauce)
Sunday: Sausage and Peppers (make enough for another dinner later in the week)

Jonathan spent time getting the big freezer defrosted this weekend... I am hoping that is finished and it is ready to use by mid -week so I can take advantage of a great deal on meat that is coming up.

We went to Steven's team meeting on Sunday --looks like a good group of kids and parents. I am looking forward to the season -we are playing inter-league against 3 other leagues --so there should be some good competition. I ended up as the team mom (my friends volunteered me) but it should be pretty easy for this age group.. I got most of the work done yesterday.

Steven is participating in the St Baldrick's Fundraiser and will be shaving his head in solidarity with kids fighting cancer. The St. Baldricks Foundation uses donations to fund more in childhood cancer research grants than any other organization in the Unites States other than the US Government. You can go to his page if you are interested in donating and helping him reach his goal.

I decided over the weekend to host a Premier party at my house this upcoming Friday night to raise money for the fundraiser. Steven & Jonathan are headed to Stockton to see a hockey game and just Jackson & I are at home. I will be donating all of my profits from the show and any orders to Steven's St. Baldricks drive. So I am busy getting everything ready and excited to have an opportunity to help him, it is such a great cause.

Well I guess that is about everything... hope you all have a wonderful day!

the end of a loooooooonnng week!

So it is finally Friday!! Yippee! This is the week I had to work all 5 days, it's a killer. I sure hope a part time position becomes a reality soon.

So this week what has happened here.....

Monday night Steven had try-outs for baseball. As a junior in Little League they play on bigger fields with longer basepaths. He did super well at tryouts and was quickly snapped up in the draft by the Yankee's. Yes, Aunt Peg, both boys are on Yankee teams this year... I know, Go Team! He know several of the kids and is looking forward to the team meeting on Sunday. I got a call from some friends at the Team Mom meeting asking me to please take pity on the poor coach (who was there and clueless) and be team mom... so I agreed. We'll see how that works out for me.. I wasn't going to be team mom for either team because of working, but juniors are older, so hopefully it will be just paperwork type stuff and NO DRAMA!

The week seem to fly by and yet, I can't think of anything that really happened?

Today was a big day! Jackson received an award at school, Husky of the Month. It is given to 1 child per class each month based on a Life Focus skill/theme. This month's skill was Friendship and his teacher said the choice was easy to make. I am super proud of him. I was sad to not be able to attend the assembly -it was right in the middle of the day and I work 1/2 hour away. Since i don't have vacation time yet -there was no way to make up enough time to go. My parents and Steven attended in my place and say Jackson seemed happy. I can't wait to get home and hear all about it.

This weekend is our last really kick back, relaxed weekend. We are looking forward to some Olympic hockey action on Sunday as the U.S.A. is in the Gold-medal game!!!!! Go USA!!! Otherwise we have Steven's team meeting and not much else. Thankfully. I am tired and looking forward to gettting some things done around the house and just hanging out with my family.

Gotta get back to work... break time is over.

It's a new week!

The last 5 days have gone by in a blur. I have been trying to overcome this horrible cold and start to feel better. Finally, I can say, I do feel better, almost normal even.

Lets see what has happened this past week....

Thursday... I felt awful enough to stay home from work. I had a fever when I woke up, so back to bed I went. As things work out -Jackson was also sick enough to stay home that day so we both slept til almost noon, then watched some tv together while resting covered in blankets and drinking hot tea. He missed his baseball practice since he wasn't feeling well enough to go to school. Jonthan was home at lunchtime, still not feeling well enough to stay at work a whole day. Steven's teeth hurt and he could still not bite into food directly, so we had Jamba Juices for dinner.

Friday.. Jonathan was still home and we headed off to see Jackson get his Academic Award. He is on the Superintendent's list .. which is straight A's. We are very proud of him! I spent some time getting things together for my jewelry show that night and took it easy the rest of the day after running a few errands.

Saturday.. Steven wasn't feeling great when he woke up, so we pushed off his Jesuit interview until the Sunday afternoon option. I had a show and everyone else took it easy. We spent time watching Olympics and just being together.

Sunday.. We took Steven to his interview at Jesuit. It went really well. Turns out the guy he interviewed with is their head football coach. He was very nice and made us comfortable during the conversation. Hardest question --for us to each tell him what we think is one of Steven's strengths and a weakness. We left the interview with everyone feeling good about the chances of him getting in.

I spent Sunday evening cooking up a storm! I made a big pot of chili, sloppy joes for dinner and spaghetti sauce. We will have easy dinners this week as there is alot going on.

Tonight... Steven has agility & baseball try-outs, I have to attend a parent orientation for the local high school (just in case). So they'll be gone for try-outs before I even get home and when they get home I'll be gone. I am hoping to get to see a bit of the try-outs (stopping by on my way to the high school) .. I hate that they are the same day and time.

Our menu plan this week will include :

Chili
Spaghetti
Chicken something
Pork chops
Chili Mac
leftover sloppy joes


As you can see .. my planning is limited, but should be enough. I have a 5 day work-week and with being sick didn't really get to the grocery store. So we will make do with what we have and get thru the week... I am very lucky that my family only complains when there isn't food, not about what there is.

Ash Wednesday

FOR TODAY, Ash Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Outside my window... appears to be the most beautiful day ever! I went for a walk on my break this morning, but have been inside the rest of the day. I am looking forward to an hour from now, opening the sunroof in my van for the drive home!

I am thinking... about Steven. He had his braces put on today. I wasn't able to take him as I am at work. His dad was home sick. Papa came to the rescue and took him to lunch and then the orthodontist (thank you Papa -{in case Steven didn't say that}) I am sad that I couldn't be there for him. I just spoke to him and he is fine, says it went well. I am doing my best to not be sad about it -it happens.

I am thankful for... all the support I get! My family and friends have really made the transition to working outside the home mom easier for me. I appreciate all they do for the boys & me.

From the kitchen... it's Ash Wednesday so no meat. We are having grilled cheese sandwiches and soup.

I am wearing... my dressy clothes, because I just had a job interview. There is a permanent position open in the Board (different area though) and I got an interview. The position I have is limited term, 2 years -so the sooner I get a permanent position, the better! It went well, but there are lots of internal candidates, so I am just happy to have gotten the opportunity to interview. Plus I got to spend 1/2 hour with my supervisor --who I haven't really interacted with in the 8 weeks I've been here, I really enjoyed that. She cracks me up and reminds me a lot of Aunt Peg!~

I am going... to mass with Steven tonight. Hopefully Jackson will go too, depends on how tired he is and if he is feeling any better. We all have this sickness thingy -so if he isn't up to it, he will stay home so I can get something out of the service. My mom should be coming too!


I am hoping... that tomorrow I will wake up feeling better!

I am hearing... the printer buzz with the reports I printed before I started my break - so after I can sort and process the reports.

One of my favorite things... is baseball season!! It has started here -Jackson had his first practice yesterday. He is on the AAA Yankee's! When I picked him up from practice he said "that was a great way to spend an afternoon" which made me so happy! Can't wait til they start playing games on the 13th of March
!
A few plans for the rest of the week: One more day of work to get thru.. then Furlough Friday --which is the day of Jackson's Academic Awards assembly -so I can go!!! and then the weekend. I just hope I'm not sick thru the weekend -that would stink.

Gotta go, my break is over.

Today is Thursday, February 11th...
Outside my window... is the beginning of a beautiful day. I am so happy to have clear blue skies in my vision.. that one simple thing dramatically improves my mood. Plus it is great to be able to take quick walks around the building on my breaks -getting some movement and fresh air do wonders for my concentration.
I am thinking... about my 4 day weekend. I have lots of intentions for the weekend and hope to cross many things off my to-do list. Topping that list are defrosting the freezer, grocery shopping and planning a couple weeks worth of meals to ease my mind.
I am thankful for... the support I get from family & friends. I really appreciate your messages and words of wisdom! Lord knows, I am a work in progress and can always use helpful tips and ideas.
From the kitchen... today I don't have anything going on in the kitchen, except the grocery list I am working on. My goal is to stock the pantry with 5 meals that are easy, quick and don't require too much forethought. Then if I forget to defrost something... we can still have a nutritious meal without too much stress. Tonight we are dining out! We are eating at Johnny Rockets. Now I have nostalgia about this restaurant, I can remember eating at the original one on Melrose when visiting Maggie in LA as a teen... my family loves it too. We will be having burgers, fries, onion rings and most probably milkshakes too! I am having cereal for lunch in exchange for all the calories I will consume there.
I am going... to keep crossing things off my to-do list. Today so far I have made dentist appointments for everyone's exam/cleanings -Steven is getting his braces next week and really needed to get in before then, so what the heck -I scheduled us all! I have started my grocery list and reviewed the ad's while I drank my coffee this morning in preparation for tomorrows shopping. One step at a time.. that's all I can expect!
I am reading... haven't read anything all week -crazy I know! I have a book ready to start tomorrow though.
I am hoping... to hear about Jack's baseball team for Spring.. the draft was last night and we are all on pins & needles waiting to hear what team, whose coaching and if he knows anyone on the team.
One of my favorite things... is this blog. I really enjoy the process of writing, capturing and reading back over my thoughts.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...