One of the most difficult things about moving is having to find new people to socialize with. The past 11 months (yes, it's already been that long) has really made me value all of my friendships, and not a day goes by that I don't miss my friends who are far away. Going to a new place is exciting and adventurous, but it can also be very lonely when you step outside your house and don't know anyone who lives closer than 600 miles away. Meeting people doesn't happen easily when you don't go to school or work every day. You actually have to work at making new friends. It takes time and effort, and often involves going out of your comfort zone as far as reaching out to people. It's not like when I was 6 and would meet a fellow kindergartner on the playground and 3 and a half minutes later she was my new bff. How do you make new friends as a 29 year-old stay at home mom of 3 little monsters? Thankfully we have things like facebook, meetup.com, and other social media networks that have helped me to form some friendships in my new location.
The best way to make new friends as a mom is obvious: join a mom's group and find some other mommies that have kids close in age to your own kids. So I did just that. And I'm fortunate to finally have a sense of belonging again, and I feel like I'm really making some connections for myself and my kids. (my husband is a whole other story, but I'm working on setting up some playdates for him too!)
I feel that Joey is at an age where he has the ability to make real friends for himself too. It is no longer just a bunch of kids playing with a ton of toys and screaming "mine" at each other. The kids are learning how to talk to one another, make each other laugh, and get along. It is awesome to see him actually enjoying having friends too.
Last week we invited a bunch of our friends over to play in the back yard. Joey and a couple of other 3-year old little boys had a fantastic time running around, climbing stuff, and spraying each other with his cool Buzz Lightyear Sprinkler. My friend Christine told me that her son Christian was especially enthusiastic about the playdate and went on to tell his dad about it later that day. The conversation went something like this:
Christian: "Hey Dad!"
The Dad: "Hi Christian, how was your day today?"
Christian: "It was great. I played with a Buzz Lightyear Rocket Ship!"
The Dad: "Oh, really? Where did you do that?"
Christian: "At my Orange Friend Joey's House."
My Orange Friend! How adorable is that? I just love that Joey already has his own classification in Christian's brain. He is his Orange Friend. That is just too stinkin' cute. I hope they'll be friends for a long long time.
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moving. Show all posts
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Worst Blogger Ever
I realize that I've been horrible at updating my blog lately. Sometimes life just gets in the way though. I'm sure many of you can relate to simply not having enough time for everything that you want and need to get done in a day. Here are a few updates for now:
1. We are all moved in and settled in our new home. We had so much stuff that we had a tag sale shortly after moving in. I spent a lot of time going through bins of baby clothes, baby toys, baby equipment and a whole bunch of other stuff that we don't have a use for. Saying goodbye to my children's baby clothes is not easy for me. I'll be the first to admit that I shed a few tears seeing the teeny-tiny clothes that I once snuggled my babies in. How could they have grown so big already? We really feel like we are done having children, so at this point why would I hold on to them? They are no good to me or anyone else sitting in boxes taking up space in our garage. So we had a tag sale for a few hours, cleaned out a bunch of stuff, and walked away with 350 bucks. Not a bad deal...
2. Shortly after moving in we had our first set of visitors. My brother, sister-in-law, and their adorable 3 children came to stay with us for a week. It was a fun, crazy time with 4 adults, 6 kids, and 2 dogs. Great memories were made, and I can't wait to see them again.
3. After they left town my children got sick. They remained that way for what felt like years, but was actually a few weeks. (still very tough on all involved) Olivia had a sinus infection, Katelyn had an ear infection, Joey got a very bad stomach flu, Katelyn had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic which led to a few hours at the hospital, Katelyn had a new ear infection followed by a round of steroids and a new antibiotic. I kid you not... this is how it all went down. At the end of it all I felt like I had been run over by a truck. A few times. Finally (knock on wood) everyone is healthy and feeling good again, and I am getting a full night's sleep most of the time.
4. I've taken up a few more hobbies. Over the course of the last month, I have made 2 dresses, 3 bibs, 1 tutu, and a whole lot of adorable hair clips. Instead of spending most of my evenings on the computer writing and reading blogs I've been sitting at the dining room table creating things with a glass of wine. I'll post pics of some of what I've been making soon. I'm toying with the idea of selling my stuff, but not really sure how I feel about that yet.
5. I am already thinking about potty training the girls. Olivia pats her diaper and bangs on the bathroom door every chance she gets, and they both like to sit on the potty for a couple of seconds before bath time. Nothing has happened yet, and I feel that we probably have a long way to go, but the idea of not purchasing diapers anymore has me really excited.
I think that's about it. I promise to have more frequent posts on here soon... including some pictures and maybe even a giveaway or two....
1. We are all moved in and settled in our new home. We had so much stuff that we had a tag sale shortly after moving in. I spent a lot of time going through bins of baby clothes, baby toys, baby equipment and a whole bunch of other stuff that we don't have a use for. Saying goodbye to my children's baby clothes is not easy for me. I'll be the first to admit that I shed a few tears seeing the teeny-tiny clothes that I once snuggled my babies in. How could they have grown so big already? We really feel like we are done having children, so at this point why would I hold on to them? They are no good to me or anyone else sitting in boxes taking up space in our garage. So we had a tag sale for a few hours, cleaned out a bunch of stuff, and walked away with 350 bucks. Not a bad deal...
2. Shortly after moving in we had our first set of visitors. My brother, sister-in-law, and their adorable 3 children came to stay with us for a week. It was a fun, crazy time with 4 adults, 6 kids, and 2 dogs. Great memories were made, and I can't wait to see them again.
3. After they left town my children got sick. They remained that way for what felt like years, but was actually a few weeks. (still very tough on all involved) Olivia had a sinus infection, Katelyn had an ear infection, Joey got a very bad stomach flu, Katelyn had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic which led to a few hours at the hospital, Katelyn had a new ear infection followed by a round of steroids and a new antibiotic. I kid you not... this is how it all went down. At the end of it all I felt like I had been run over by a truck. A few times. Finally (knock on wood) everyone is healthy and feeling good again, and I am getting a full night's sleep most of the time.
4. I've taken up a few more hobbies. Over the course of the last month, I have made 2 dresses, 3 bibs, 1 tutu, and a whole lot of adorable hair clips. Instead of spending most of my evenings on the computer writing and reading blogs I've been sitting at the dining room table creating things with a glass of wine. I'll post pics of some of what I've been making soon. I'm toying with the idea of selling my stuff, but not really sure how I feel about that yet.
5. I am already thinking about potty training the girls. Olivia pats her diaper and bangs on the bathroom door every chance she gets, and they both like to sit on the potty for a couple of seconds before bath time. Nothing has happened yet, and I feel that we probably have a long way to go, but the idea of not purchasing diapers anymore has me really excited.
I think that's about it. I promise to have more frequent posts on here soon... including some pictures and maybe even a giveaway or two....
Friday, August 6, 2010
Remodeling
is something that I am not planning to do for a very long time. I am so excited to announce that we are officially all moved in to our new home. We love it here. Like, seriously love it. The house has plenty of space for all of us, and I am so excited to be settling in.
There is one teeny, tiny, little thing that I might want to switch out in the future. (sssshhh... don't tell my hubby!) Our downstairs half-bath has a pedestal sink that the builder installed when the house was built 5 years ago. It is very nice looking, but I have recently discovered that it leaves me absolutely no space for storage. No where to store the antibacterial wipes, cleaners, extra toilet paper, a few extra hand soaps and towels, etc. So someday I hope to look into buying a new bathroom sink.
Perhaps one like this would work:
Or this:
I'm sure I'll be able to find something that fits into the space at by checking out this selection of bathroom sinks at CSNStores.
But other than that, the house is pretty near perfect for us. I'll throw some pictures up soon. I'm just too tired to edit and upload them all. They're coming soon though, I promise.
There is one teeny, tiny, little thing that I might want to switch out in the future. (sssshhh... don't tell my hubby!) Our downstairs half-bath has a pedestal sink that the builder installed when the house was built 5 years ago. It is very nice looking, but I have recently discovered that it leaves me absolutely no space for storage. No where to store the antibacterial wipes, cleaners, extra toilet paper, a few extra hand soaps and towels, etc. So someday I hope to look into buying a new bathroom sink.
Perhaps one like this would work:
Or this:
I'm sure I'll be able to find something that fits into the space at by checking out this selection of bathroom sinks at CSNStores.
But other than that, the house is pretty near perfect for us. I'll throw some pictures up soon. I'm just too tired to edit and upload them all. They're coming soon though, I promise.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
It's a Good Thing We're Moving...
because I got into a verbal altercation with one of the neighbors today. One that I've never seen or met before. And Joey was calling him "not nice" as I went back in the house. Here is how it all went down:
I was super tired this afternoon after getting home from the gym. All I wanted was for the kids to go to sleep so I could take a nap. My nap was cut short when Joey came in my room and proceeded to wake me up. Still tired, now grumpy, I dragged myself out of bed and poured myself a large glass of Diet Coke, wishing I could inject the caffeine directly into my blood stream instead. I then leashed up the dogs (I'm watching Daisy's BFF, Ginger), and took Joey outside with me to let them do their duty.
As I stood on our front step right outside the door watching the dogs carefully select the perfect place to pee a large dog came charging at us from the other side of the parking lot. Joey got nervous as all 3 dogs began obnoxiously barking at each other, and I stood frozen hoping this would not result in a scary dog fight or bite. Meanwhile, as this dog came running at us it's owner stood watching from his stoop outside his apartment across the way. He did not call for it, did not chase it down, and did not put a leash on it. He stood watching, completely unconcerned about the fact that his dog was about to eat my dogs, followed by my child, and then me.
When the idiot neighbor finally did walk up as I was collecting my dogs and child to go hide inside, he muttered a meaningless, "sorry 'bout that." I didn't even warrant that with a response, just hussled Joey, Daisy, and Ginger inside and waited for him to collect his big, scary dog and leave. But he didn't.
We have this large grassy area outside our apartment where all of the neighbors bring their dogs to crap. I watched out the window as the guy stood on one side of it watching as his dog dropped a deuce right outside my door. Then the guy said something to the dog, and began walking across the street back to his apartment. WHAT?!?! You are not only going to allow your dog to scare the bejesus out of me, my dogs, and my kid, but you also leave it's poop for some unsuspecting shoe to step in? Oh no you don't, buddy. Not on my watch.
When the dog was a safe distance away, I walked back outside. The guy was still standing on his stoop waiting for his dog to join him. The dog was still wandering on my side of the parking lot, further away from both me and it's owner. Eventually the dog headed home to the guy, and just before he turned to walk back to his apartment I called out to him, "Oh, and don't worry about the dog poop. Just leave it there. That's awesome." I knew he heard me but didn't bother to acknowledge me, instead he gave his dog 4-5 hard whacks and pushed it inside. OH MY GOD. This guy is unbelievable. I couldn't help myself. I knew I shouldn't have said anything, but I just couldn't hold my tongue. (big surprise there...) "Oh, good. Beat the dog up. Because it's HER fault. Maybe you should look into using a F***ing leash!" Yes. I dropped the F-bomb. To a stranger. In front of my kid. (Mom of the year, right here...) I was just so infuriated that this guy was being such a jerk and irresponsible dog owner. And seeing him beating the dog was the last straw for me. Because seriously, none of this was the dog's fault. Not my finest moment, but I got my point across and that is always important to me. And not to give him any credit, but he did put the dog inside, walk over to the doggie doo-doo station, get a green bag, and search the big grassy area for his dog's crap. (I watched from inside with the door locked.) I seriously doubt he did that to appease me, but probably more because we all got notes in our mailboxes last week about proper doggie poop etiquette from the management and I'm sure this guy figured I was crazy enough to report him.
So I've learned a couple of things from this situation:
1. Some people just should not own pets.
2. Joey knows when not to repeat the F-word. (after my last comment, he said to me, "that guy needs a leash mom?) -he totally left out the f-word part. He's so smart!
3. I should have waited until the caffeine reached my blood stream before interacting with anyone.
4. It's a really good thing we are moving soon before I piss off any more of the neighbors.
I was super tired this afternoon after getting home from the gym. All I wanted was for the kids to go to sleep so I could take a nap. My nap was cut short when Joey came in my room and proceeded to wake me up. Still tired, now grumpy, I dragged myself out of bed and poured myself a large glass of Diet Coke, wishing I could inject the caffeine directly into my blood stream instead. I then leashed up the dogs (I'm watching Daisy's BFF, Ginger), and took Joey outside with me to let them do their duty.
As I stood on our front step right outside the door watching the dogs carefully select the perfect place to pee a large dog came charging at us from the other side of the parking lot. Joey got nervous as all 3 dogs began obnoxiously barking at each other, and I stood frozen hoping this would not result in a scary dog fight or bite. Meanwhile, as this dog came running at us it's owner stood watching from his stoop outside his apartment across the way. He did not call for it, did not chase it down, and did not put a leash on it. He stood watching, completely unconcerned about the fact that his dog was about to eat my dogs, followed by my child, and then me.
When the idiot neighbor finally did walk up as I was collecting my dogs and child to go hide inside, he muttered a meaningless, "sorry 'bout that." I didn't even warrant that with a response, just hussled Joey, Daisy, and Ginger inside and waited for him to collect his big, scary dog and leave. But he didn't.
We have this large grassy area outside our apartment where all of the neighbors bring their dogs to crap. I watched out the window as the guy stood on one side of it watching as his dog dropped a deuce right outside my door. Then the guy said something to the dog, and began walking across the street back to his apartment. WHAT?!?! You are not only going to allow your dog to scare the bejesus out of me, my dogs, and my kid, but you also leave it's poop for some unsuspecting shoe to step in? Oh no you don't, buddy. Not on my watch.
When the dog was a safe distance away, I walked back outside. The guy was still standing on his stoop waiting for his dog to join him. The dog was still wandering on my side of the parking lot, further away from both me and it's owner. Eventually the dog headed home to the guy, and just before he turned to walk back to his apartment I called out to him, "Oh, and don't worry about the dog poop. Just leave it there. That's awesome." I knew he heard me but didn't bother to acknowledge me, instead he gave his dog 4-5 hard whacks and pushed it inside. OH MY GOD. This guy is unbelievable. I couldn't help myself. I knew I shouldn't have said anything, but I just couldn't hold my tongue. (big surprise there...) "Oh, good. Beat the dog up. Because it's HER fault. Maybe you should look into using a F***ing leash!" Yes. I dropped the F-bomb. To a stranger. In front of my kid. (Mom of the year, right here...) I was just so infuriated that this guy was being such a jerk and irresponsible dog owner. And seeing him beating the dog was the last straw for me. Because seriously, none of this was the dog's fault. Not my finest moment, but I got my point across and that is always important to me. And not to give him any credit, but he did put the dog inside, walk over to the doggie doo-doo station, get a green bag, and search the big grassy area for his dog's crap. (I watched from inside with the door locked.) I seriously doubt he did that to appease me, but probably more because we all got notes in our mailboxes last week about proper doggie poop etiquette from the management and I'm sure this guy figured I was crazy enough to report him.
So I've learned a couple of things from this situation:
1. Some people just should not own pets.
2. Joey knows when not to repeat the F-word. (after my last comment, he said to me, "that guy needs a leash mom?) -he totally left out the f-word part. He's so smart!
3. I should have waited until the caffeine reached my blood stream before interacting with anyone.
4. It's a really good thing we are moving soon before I piss off any more of the neighbors.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Moving On Up
I didn't post this earlier because I didn't want to jinx myself, but it looks like it's really gonna work out this time, so I've decided to go ahead and make it blog-official... we're buying a house and moving at the end of this month! I am so excited to finally have our own home again! Here are some of the reasons I'm excited:
I am not, however, looking forward to packing again. Or unpacking. Again.
- A yard for my kids to play in.
- Neighbors to become friends with.
- My children will be able to walk to school.
- 2 fabulous playgrounds
- Neighborhood pool
- lots of flat, wide sidewalks for walks and bike rides.
- a designated play-room away from the main part of the house.
- a dining room!!! (finally!) I've never had a formal dining room before. (I'll probably use it as my craft area though. hehe.
- a whirlpool tub in the "master suite."
- enough bedrooms for everyone. (although the girls will still share.)
- a covered porch with a ceiling fan.
- ceiling fans
- gas fireplace
- 2 car garage
- no upstairs neighbors that let their kids bounce around at all hours of the night.
- knowing that the only dog poop that my children will step in will be from our dog.
I am not, however, looking forward to packing again. Or unpacking. Again.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Staying Connected
The hardest thing about moving is the people you leave behind. Joey has bonded with a lot of friends and family members in his 2 years of life, and saying goodbye to those people was (and still is) a huge struggle for me. I don't want him to lose the strong connection to the people who matter most to him.
We were quick to set up our computer with Skype, so that Joey could continue to see his BFF (and cousin) Mollie, and his now far away grandparents, Nana and PopPop. Skyping is something that we've all come to know and love, but Joey still enjoys the plain old telephone.
Since my little boy has ants in his pants 98% of the time, I really think he prefers the phone to Skype due to it's portable nature. When he's on the phone with Nana and PopPop, he is often wandering from room to room describing the things that he finds along the way. I'm pretty sure that his telephone companions have gotten used to hearing "wook, na. wook dis," while Joey tries to 'show' his blocks, book, or random household object.
Furthermore, Joey enjoys finding little crevices of the apartment to climb in while he's on the phone. I think he likes to shut the world out and just focus on the love that Nana and PopPop are sending him through the phone.
And here he is laying in the ottoman in the living room:
After I took that picture Joey said, "bye, bye mom. my go ah-ah-man." He then closed the lid, and carried on his conversation in private.
*Please note: these photos were taken on different days. Different weeks, actually. It is purely a coincidence that he is wearing the same outfit. I swear he has other clothes.*
We were quick to set up our computer with Skype, so that Joey could continue to see his BFF (and cousin) Mollie, and his now far away grandparents, Nana and PopPop. Skyping is something that we've all come to know and love, but Joey still enjoys the plain old telephone.
Since my little boy has ants in his pants 98% of the time, I really think he prefers the phone to Skype due to it's portable nature. When he's on the phone with Nana and PopPop, he is often wandering from room to room describing the things that he finds along the way. I'm pretty sure that his telephone companions have gotten used to hearing "wook, na. wook dis," while Joey tries to 'show' his blocks, book, or random household object.
Furthermore, Joey enjoys finding little crevices of the apartment to climb in while he's on the phone. I think he likes to shut the world out and just focus on the love that Nana and PopPop are sending him through the phone.
Here is Joey sitting amongst the clutter in my bedroom closet:
And here he is laying in the ottoman in the living room:
After I took that picture Joey said, "bye, bye mom. my go ah-ah-man." He then closed the lid, and carried on his conversation in private.
*Please note: these photos were taken on different days. Different weeks, actually. It is purely a coincidence that he is wearing the same outfit. I swear he has other clothes.*
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