Stunning, just stunning...

Remember when I told you about my Little getting married almost 2 weeks ago? Well, she's back from Aruba! Thank goodness...because I was going through withdrawals not being able to text or talk to her!

Although not all of her pictures are up on her photographer's website, some are available in other places for viewing...

Go to Stacy's blog to see pictures of Steven and Rochelle. You can't tell me she didn't look absolutely amazing in those pictures! If you go down a bit, you'll notice that there is a picture of a certain bridesmaid holding a bouquet...that's me! You can't see my face (probably a good thing...) but you can see part of my dress and my rings!

They had a videographer, too. And there, you'll have to click on "Steven and Rochelle Wedding Trailer" to get a glimpse of what happened that day. There is a great little spot of Rochelle tying Riley's sash on her.

How exciting to finally see some professional pictures! And how excited am I to finally have them both home...hurry up and come visit us, please!

Chuck E. Germs

The other day, we decided that we were tired of the kids fighting whenever they were home together, so...we headed out to Chuck E. Germs for a couple hours of fun. The kids had a blast. It's awesome now that everything is just a token and we went at a time when it wasn't crowded, so they were able to ride what they wanted, multiple (and I mean multiple) times! Ronan was intrigued by the characters on the stage...much like I was when I was little...
But for some reason, they seemed so much more creepy than they did when I was little. Or, maybe they have always been creepy and I just never noticed.

This truck received about 15 tokens from little man. He loved this thing...Wish we could have one in our house.

I can't lie. I like this place. I like that it's closed in and there isn't really anywhere for the kids to go. I like their blacklight system. The only thing I don't like, are the germs. I know, they are everywhere...but it just seems like they are festering in the air when you walk in there. Luckily for us, we carry our anti-bac gel and are avid believers in hand washing...but I can't say that I don't leave there feeling like I need a good hot shower.

Warning: This Post May Gross You Out or Offend You

You have got to be shi*ting me...(excuse the language).

You have read my rants about the dog poop. And this time, I'm really irritated. It's not in the grass...its on MY SIDEWALK. It's not on the side, it's not near the grass, it's right in the middle. It's not something you expect to look at first thing in the morning either (probably like you didn't expect that I'd actually post a picture of it, right?!) I'm just annoyed because I know the owner stopped and waited for their dog to finish and clearly left it for us to see.

I clean Ronan's poop all the time. I don't want to clean another poop. What should I do? Should I get a sign made? Do I sit outside all day waiting for the poop-ertrator to get busted? Or, do I just ignore it and pick it up?

April's Deep Thought: By Riley Egal

"Momma, why do undies have patterns on them, when nobody sees them?"

"I don't know, Riley...maybe it's so that when you see them, you'll want to buy them."

"I don't buy these undies because of the designs, I buy them because I need to wear them...I mean, I like the princesses on them, but I'm not looking at 'em."

"Good point, Riley.  I have no idea.  We'll ask daddy when we get home."

This conversation took place in my car on the way home from the gym and it took everything not to laugh...mainly because she's so sensitive and would've thought I was making fun of her.  She's too cute, sometimes.

The Last Trip to Disney Before Our Passes Expire

I know how lucky we are. We get to live less than an hour away from the most MAGICAL PLACE ON EARTH...so, we do what we can to take advantage of it. We find online coupons, utilize the military discounts and save here and there so we can go and have fun there...even if it is only for a night.

This weekend, we decided to utilize our passes, just one last time, and go to Epcot & Hollywood Studios. We stayed at the Yacht Club -- which, if you have never been -- is a MUST STAY AT resort. The room itself is nothing to write home about. It's the pool. It's not just any pool. It is a pool with SAND! So, you get the best of the beach and the pool, in one place. My favorite part is that the pool was 2 feet deep the entire way across, so both kids could walk around, play with sand and "swim" without us having to hold their hands the entire time. I absolutely loved it. And *gasp* I could have stayed there the entire time, without even having gone to a park!
The landscaping was so pretty and the weather was perfect...couldn't resist getting a few pictures with the kids! No need to prompt Riley to ham it up, but Ronan said "cheese" about a dozen times...

Why he puts his hands in his mouth all the time, I'll never understand...

And my precious Riley...I had a picture of her looking at the camera, but somehow, I was sporting a double chin -- so you know there was no way I was going to post that one!

I think Riley actually did a great job taking this picture of Ryan and I. Usually, I'll just do the self-portrait, but we braved it and let her take control of the "camra" -- at least for a few seconds before crazy man tried to take it from her!

We went to Epcot, which was only a short boat ride away from the resort. There isn't a crazy amount of stuff for kids to do, as far as rides go...but the countries are fun to be in and now, they have this Kimpossible scavenger hunt-type thing that gets the kids involved in every country. Riley loved this aspect of it and was stoked when Ronan finally fell asleep, because she was able to participate in it peacefully. Once our "Little Kicker" (see above picture) woke up, though...it was pretty much over for the game. Maybe this summer when we go again with my parents, Riley will get to complete some more missions!

And what Disney trip of ours would be complete without a character breakfast. We dined at Hollywood & Vine with the Playhouse Disney characters, again. I didn't mind, though. The food is delish and the kids love the characters. It's worth every penny.

Usually, Riley just smiles and says hi, but this time around, she was so excited to see them...not sure what changed for her, but it was a good experience for all of us. And yes, Ronan killed some major Mickey waffles there. So there they are above with June (from Little Einsteins). And below, with Goliath (from JoJo's Circus).

It was hard to get Ronan to look at the camera because he was so enthralled with the characters.

He looks like he just woke up (which he did). And Miss Riley, hamming it up as usual. Oh, and the best part of this breakfast, was that they did this conga line. Ronan wanted to do it but didn't want to go without his big sister. And Riley, well, she wanted nothing to do with it, but we begged her to just walk up with him and she wouldn't have to dance...he just wanted her presence. So, the music started and there Ronan went, without Riley! He walked around the restaurant with the rest of the kids and at one point, Leo grabbed his hand and escorted Ronan around the tables. Ronan looked shocked that he was actually holding hands with "Wee-Oh." It was such a cute moment...

How could you not love these guys...they are always smiling...you never have to tell the characters to say "cheese!!!" Haha. I crack myself up.

After breakfast was over, we hurried over to the Toy Story Mania ride and tried to get fast passes...but the lines for that were ridiculous. We opted for the 45 minute stand-by wait (which was really only 20 minutes) and got on our favorite ride there and left the park shortly afterwards. We needed to get back to that amazing pool!

Oh, here is Ronan laughing because I told him I was going to tickle him. He actually grabs his belly like I'm going for it...

And no post would be complete without a picture of Riley posing by the flowers...

We had such a great time and I'm actually sad that we don't have the freedom to go whenever we want with the annual/seasonal passes. I feel so lucky that we were able to go as much as we did...especially because I never had the chance to go as a kid...and here are my kids who have gone over a dozen times in the their short lives.

I can't say we'll never go again, though! The military was offered a special deal this year for 5-day passes, which we couldn't pass up...and with the grandparents coming for a visit this summer, we are going to take full advantage of the time with them and hit up the parks to make their visit magical! (I'm so Disney cheese, huh?)

P.T.A. = Parents Taking Action

I'm on the PTA at Riley's school...and I really enjoy it. This year, I served as the PTA Secretary and next year, I am going to take over the Membership aspect on the Board and I'm actually looking forward to it.

My original motivation for joining was so that I would know everything that was going on at school. I would be fully aware of all activities, fundraisers and awards...but it has blossomed into much more. I've made some wonderful friends from it and...AND...I have been able to utilize the Cricut Expression. I decorated our little board in the lunchroom the other day...
And for those of you that aren't sure what PTA is, it's actually a Parent-Teacher Association. What we do and the funds we raise are 100% for the children of the school. We do lots of fundraisers (which most parents despise) and give lots of rewards and its ALL for the kids.

This is only part of our Board, but there are several others that have volunteered their time in trying to make sure our students have everything they need to be successful. Our goal this year is to provide as many ELMO's as we can for the school. They aren't the most inexpensive items, but the benefits they provide the classrooms makes it so worthwhile to place our efforts in raising money for them.

If you aren't part of your child's PTA, join. You don't have to volunteer your time if you don't have it. It's a show of support. If you don't have kids, but want to help out somehow, find a school and donate to their PTA. You can donate to mine, just email me for details.

Seriously...how lucky am I?

I took this picture of Ryan this weekend when we were waiting for the boat to go back to the Yacht Club from Hollywood Studios. I told him to smile because it was going to be his new Facebook profile picture. How cute is he?

Self-Checkout? Not really...

When I was little, one of my favorite things to do was play with my dad's cash register at his tailor shop.  I loved going to the grocery store and seeing the cashier scan my items, hearing the beep and seeing the glow of the red light that criss-crossed over the various barcodes.  

These days, that passion for the check-out hasn't completely diminished.  I still enjoying ringing on the register...I mean, that was one of my favorite things to do at Victoria's Secret (until I got yelled at by a 16-year-old about not being able to combine coupons for her stupid panties..) And I even applied to work at Publix.  Yes, Publix -- with their polyester aprons and all.  

But EVERY single time we walk into Lowes and the register lights are aglow only at the self-checkout line...I cringe.  Why?  Well, when is it ever a smooth transaction at Lowes?  Never. You could have 2 products and still need the assistance of the person at the end of the aisle. So really, it's not a self-checkout line at all.  It's an area where they want you to feel like you have control, but really, it's the Lowes employee who has all the control...who knows, maybe they are even playing tricks on you.  We don't know that they can't control the entire transaction from where they stand.  When the monitor tells you to place the item in the bag and you do...but it doesn't register that you did...perhaps it the employee toying with your consumer emotions...watching you take the product out of the bag and put it back in and the pull it back out -- and then finally giving in, having to request assistance to place the item into the bag.  

What choice do you have, though, when you get there and that's all that is open?  I think the next time, instead of using the self-checkout, I'm going to go into one of the normal checkout lines and fulfill my cashier fantasy and see how they feel about that!

My "what I thought about when I went to sleep" post...

A. The apples do not fall far from the tree. So true, right? When I look at my kids and see the things they do, I realize that they are definitely our kids. They freak when their hands get dirty -- my fault. Riley leaves her socks in various places throughout the house -- Ryan's doing. They cheese it up for the camera -- obviously my side of the family (duh, I'm Asian.) Ronan's immense love for chocolate chip cookies -- no question, Ryan. Their amazing sense of rhythm and movement while music plays -- uh, me!

Point is, is that they are so much like us and what annoys us, is what WE created. What we love is what WE created... It's just fun to watch and when we really can sit back and think about it, we end up seeing that they are just mini versions of us, with a twist!

B. I can't get enough garlic. Am I trying to ward away evil demons or vampires? Maybe. I am eating garlic with anything I can get. Breakfast this morning? Garlic pasta. Dinner last night? Garlic parmesan wingies. Lunch yesterday? Garlic pasta. It's no wonder why Ryan stands 3 feet away from me.

C. How much cleaning can one person really do in a day? I feel guilty about the house. The current state it is in, is atrocious. For the most part, things are organized to the room they need to be in, but it's a matter of actually cleaning the mess up. I can't stand it. I almost wish I could just throw it all away...but I can't...because, well, I just can't. Although I'd love to throw away the citation I got for the accident I was in a few weeks back. Can't wait to go to court for that one.

D. I wish there was an all-you-can-eat diet that cures cellulite. (Don't laugh...this was what I was thinking about right before I went to sleep, people.) A girl can dream, right?

E. Riley has her first cheerleading competition next week. I cannot wait to see her. I'm just excited she really wants to do it.

F. Ronan won't shut up. You are totally laughing at this point, right? I mean, what, months ago, I complained about him NOT talking. I know! He is a chatty cathy, but not a cathy, more like a carl. Chatty Carl. Yep. He asks for things. He wants to "play baseball game." He wants "mo cookie pweese." It's crazy. We can't even remember the days when he didn't talk. It's gotten too loud to remember...

A Bunch of Vietnamese People...all in one place!

While we were in Pittsburgh, our weekend happened to coincide with the celebration of Vietnamese Heritage Day. I would love to be able to explain the meaning behind it, but apparently, my Vietnamese isn't what it used to be and I only understood this much:

30 years ago, the Vietnamese community was formed in Pittsburgh...and this is the celebration of that formation and what they have become...

And as cool as it was to be home for it, I couldn't get past the signage. If you read it, you think it's an April 30th celebration. But it wasn't April 30th. It was April 20th. But it was the 30th year celebration. I don't know. I was just so annoyed by the wording on the sign and glad that I wasn't the one that put it up.
So, you're wondering what happens at the Anniversary Concert? Lots of singing and talking and skits. My cousin, Alin, was performing and after seeing her first song, we ended up needing to leave because of Ronan going nuts...As much as I wanted to see her other performances, they don't entertain me as much as they used to. I guess it's hard when you don't really understand everything they are saying. I can't imagine how Ryan must feel, since he was one of two caucasian guys.

You're probably laughing, but I'm serious. Ryan's been a great sport and has always gone to these things when I ask him too, but man, the music is loud and you can barely understand what's going on. And what is it with all the Asians thinking they can sing? I'm kidding, totally kidding. I love the Asians. Heck, I am one!

And speaking of Asians, here are my kids with my parents:
Ronan just adored his Pa. Because we were at/in the wedding, Ronan had to hang with Pa more than normal and spent lots of time at the tailor shop and at Vietnamese practices...he loved every minute!

Here is Pa with his favorite girl...Riley...the one he buys anything and everything for:

All-in-all, it was a fabulous visit. The kids had a blast, we were all entertained and it was DRAMA-free...no family issues. Shocking, right?

Here Comes The Bride!

It finally came...Rochelle and Steve's wedding! They were married this past weekend and what an amazing weekend to be back in Pittsburgh AND to be a part of their special day.

Background: Rochelle is my "Little" sister from my sorority. We've been friends for over 10 years and even though I've moved away, we've managed to remain great friends. She asked me to be a part of her wedding and asked Riley to be her flower girl. We couldn't have been more ecstatic.

Present: The wedding weekend arrived and honestly, things couldn't have gone better. I am convinced that we brought the nice weather with us, because Pittsburgh was warm and sunny on both Friday and Saturday. Rochelle treated us to manicures and pedicures on Friday afternoon -- in preparation for the big day. The next morning, we all headed to Izzazu for hair and make-up...which, you would have thought that Riley was in Heaven. She was so stinkin' excited for her hair to be curly and to wear blush and lip gloss.

She did great. The stylist burnt her ear (oh yeah, with the curling iron -- and you girls know how badly that hurts!), but Riley braved it and made it through the rest of the session. After I saw what the make-up person did to my face, I opted to do Riley's make-up myself. And Riley looked gorgeous...

As I realize these pictures are out of order, I'll just describe them to ya...here are Steve and Rochelle with the flower girl.

And here is the happy couple with the ring bearer, Johnny, and Riley. The kids had a blast together, even though it took them 10 minutes to finally say hi to one another...

Steve and Riley -- what can I say about these two? They have an amazing little connection and have so much fun together...

Okay, so now for the juicy pictures...my Little...I can't tell you how beautiful she looked that day. I would never be able to give it justice and the pictures I have surely don't show how amazing she looked...Steve and Rochelle just make the most adorable couple!

The wedding ceremony was at St. Mary of the Mount on Mt. Washington.

And the reception was at South Hills Country Club. Ryan and I actually were shocked at how Riley was that night. We had spent months prior, telling her to not be embarrassed (she is easily mortified in public) and that she was going to have to dance. She agreed, but we still weren't sure if she'd actually get up or if she'd spend the entire night pouting at the table. Our girl came alive that night. This little person we'd been waiting for, just came out and it thrilled us. She danced all night...and I mean all night. She spent more time on the dance floor than I did...and if you know me, I barely leave the dance floor (only to pee, baby, only to pee). But she danced with almost anyone that would move to the beat with her and she had a blast.

We thought she'd have to leave by 9, but the girl outlasted us...we stayed until the band stopped playing...it was so much fun!

And this blog post wouldn't be complete if I didn't post a picture of Riley with her girl, Megan. Megan fell in love with Riley and they bonded almost immediately...I think Riley actually spent more time with Megan, than she did with me the entire wedding...such girly girls!

So now, my Little and her new hubby are on their honeymoon...and as sad as I am that the weekend and time with them is over -- I couldn't be happier for their life to start together. They make a wonderful couple and we just love them so much.

Congrats Steve and Rochelle!

Hoppy Easter!

Why sit at home on Easter, when you can hang out with family in Orlando! Ryan's cousins live there and they were gracious enough to invite us to spend the day with them. Alana (a fellow Zeta -- but at a different school!), her husband, Mike and their three kids (Mikenna, Adin and Morgan) along with Chris and his wife, Heather, helped us entertain our kids.

Mikenna and Riley completely hit it off! Even though Mikenna is 7 months younger, she's a head taller and really took the "big sister" role with her. And because Riley loves being guided, she ate it up. They swam and ran and played the entire time they were together. And being that Riley had zero concept of time and distance, she thought she'd be playing with Mikenna after school the next day...even though we live about 1 1/2 hours away...guess we'll have to have more playdates set up this summer!

And then there were the boys. Oh, the boys. It was exhausting just watching them run. BUT, they had so much fun together. They butted heads on occasion and had issues sharing, but somehow, they were able to work it out and we'd hear Mr. Ronan say, "okay, your turn. Now my turn!" You just couldn't help but laugh at them when they would stand together...looking devilish!

And here are the girls...Mikenna and Riley:

Thanks Alana and Chris for including us in Easter this year...we had such a great time!

It's a hockey night in Pittsburgh...I mean, Tampa!

A couple weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins played against the Tampa Bay Lightning here in Tampa. We were able to score really great tickets (Thanks, Joni and Jessica!) for a great price...so we couldn't pass it up that our original home team was playing our current home team!

The kids had gone to a game with Ryan in the fall and loved it, so we just knew it was going to be a fun time. They were so excited. Riley was probably more excited for the junk food, but Ronan couldn't stop saying, "I go hockey game. I go hockey game." Here is my precious family in front of the St. Pete Time's Forum:

What was really great about this game, was that it felt as though you were really in Pittsburgh. I was actually surprised to see that half the fans were Pittsburgh fans and when we scored, you would have thought you were in Pittsburgh, so many people were cheering...

Riley was enamored with Joni and spent most of the game chatting with her, and less time watching. Not sure how Joni felt about not being able to pay attention 100% of the time, but she was a good sport...

Ronan + Popcorn = A Very Happy Ronan. It came as no surprise that Ronan wanted popcorn when he saw it. And even though we can make it at home for pennies, or buy it at Disney for $4, I was in a state of sticker shock when I saw the price jump to $7 for a small bucket of popcorn. I couldn't believe it. I winced when I'd see some of it drop on the floor...but I assure you that after I saw the state of the ground, I didn't pick it up and eat it (the 5-second rule does not apply in stadiums, arenas or ball parks.) Even though he didn't finish the popcorn...it was worth it, I think.

And here we are, enjoying the game together...he wasn't as interested in smiling for the picture, as he was with what was going on with the game...

We didn't stay the entire game. *Gasp!* I know, how could we do that? Leave?! Well, the kids were exhausted and we just knew we didn't want to sit in traffic after the game...so we headed out at the end of the second period. Unfortunately, we missed some great goals, but we are happy the Pens won!

We had such a fun time and Ronan still talks about the hockey game...gotta start 'em young, I guess! We get to go to a Rays baseball game in a month, so we're looking forward to adding more sports experiences for the kids!

Hit Me Baby One More Time

This was our solution to Ronan's hitting issue. A classic toy back in the day, it's basically a punching bag with a weight on the bottom, so when you hit it, it bounces back at you.

Since we're in FL, we only had two options, the Gators or the other team with the maroon and gold...so, we picked the Gators. Originally, Ryan named the little guy Tim Tebow, but then I started to get nervous that one day, maybe Ronan would meet a little man named Tim and punch him. SO, we named it Bing Bing.

Ronan loves to hit it and have it bounce back in his face. I think Riley enjoys having Bing Bing around because when Ronan winds up to hit her, we scream, "Hit Bing Bing, Ronan!" and there he goes to give poor Bing Bing a big hit.

He has been with us a couple weeks and the novelty of it all has worn off...but Ronan will still walk by and give him a little slap. Wonder if we are teaching him the wrong thing...

Pizza

It's time to add pizza to the list of things that Ronan will now eat. Yes, he ate crust. And that's all he would eat from the pizza before. We'd cut all the crusts off of various slices of pizza and that's what he'd fill up on...

Tonight, little dude was handed 2 pieces of crust and looked at my slices and said, "Momma, I want pizza." I said to him, "Ronan, you have pizza." He said, "Momma, I want pizza preeze" (translates to: I want pizza, please), while pointing to my slices. I immediate got up and picked him a small slice and because he's allergic to cheese, I had to scrape it all off (still managing to keep a piece of pepperoni on there...)

AND, HE ATE IT. No, he didn't just eat it, he's on his second slice. He's devouring the slice, with all the sauce! I can't believe it. It just means yet one more thing we can feed him -- and there is just so much potential to it! He is actually eating the tomato sauce...I just can't believe it. I'm sitting here next to him, in awe, because he's just chomping away. Although he does stop and look at me occasionally, telling me to "eat, eat, mommy."

So awesome.

Why do they call it SPRING BREAK?

Obviously, it's not really a break for stay-at-home moms!  I remember the REAL days of spring break, you know the ones when you started planning the year before which Mexican resort you were going to stay at?  And then, you would spend all year trying to get into shape, so you could wear that tiny string bikini on the beach while doing shots of tequila, washing it down with Coronas, and sporting a hefty hangover all day until you were out drinking again that night...

Those days are over baby.  My spring break has consisted mostly of listening to the kids fight and then play really well...and instead of spending all year trying to get into shape for this week, I've just been trying to figure out if I should have 2 peanut butter Easter eggs or if I should just eat all 6 that come in a pack.  And now, who can spend all year planning what we're going to do this week, when I can barely plan what I'm doing in the next few hours.  Motherhood has changed me...99% for the better...but I blame my immense junk food cravings on the fact that I gave birth twice and that process messed up my better judgment when it comes to choosing the right foods to eat. 

It hasn't been all bad, though.  The kids, surprisingly, have gotten along really well for the past 20 minutes.  Yep, I haven't heard one scream or peep or cry.  That's why I decided to blog just now!

We had the chance to go to Mosi, which, if you haven't been there...you need to check it out.  It's a science center (most large cities have one) and it's got an Imax theatre, a planetarium and lots of things for the kids to do.  We haven't had the opportunity to actually see an Imax movie yet (we tried, but it was sold out) and we haven't been to the planetarium (again, sold out), but we bought a family pass for the year -- which means at some point, we'll be able to see something. They have the Body Worlds exhibit which we are planning to see before it goes away...

Anyway, we are surviving the week together.  Only a few more days until Riley goes back to school and even though I love having her home (I really do!), I'm sure Riley is ready to go back to school and see her friends...at least for a few days because of course, we are leaving to go back to Pittsburgh yet again for Rochelle's wedding!

My Accident Report

Yesterday, I was in a car accident. Of course, I was on my way home from my very [non] favorite place, the dentist office. Like I wanted to be there in the first place...but whatever.

I was driving in the pouring rain, on Rt. 60. I saw my sign for 75 S and signaled to get one lane over to my right. Seeing that I had substantial room, I merged over and was in the correct lane. The light in front of me was turning yellow, so I slowed down to a stop. The car behind me swerved to not hit me, but he did anyway...and this is what my car looked like, except the piece that is missing, was hanging my the sticky stuff used to keep it on...

So, in the pouring rain, we had to pull off to the side and because it's a major highway, we ended up on a side road near a shopping center. The guy was mad. He gave me the look of death and nowadays, you never know if someone will kill you, so I stayed in my car and called 911. Within 25 minutes, a "sheriff" arrived and asked us to pull into a parking lot adjacent to where we were and there, we were to file our report.

He only asked me what happened, which I gave him the short story, and asked me nothing else...not to point out where I merged, or where we ended up. He asked the other guy for some info and whaddya know...the officer had responded to this guy's wife's accident a few months back and they bull-shatted about that for a few minutes.

The officer got back in his car, I got back in mine and I waited and waited for him to finish and for Ryan to show up. Ryan arrived and by that time, the officer had approached the other guy, chit-chatted with him while I sat in my car waiting...before he slapped me with a citation for "IMPROPER LANE CHANGE." I was hit from behind by another vehicle and here I am the one getting a citation/fine for $157.00. I have the option to pay it and take the points, pay it and go to traffic school and not get points, or go to court. At first, I thought I would just take the second option. But the more I think about it and talk about it with other people...I am realizing that the officer never asked me where I switched lanes and had no reason to cite me unless he believed the other guy...which he apparently did. Ryan said it was discrimination against a female. I am not a bad driver. I'm really not. I haven't gotten into any accidents in over 10 years (and that one was not my fault either...someone ran a stop sign and hit me!).

I don't get tickets.

But apparently, this guy wanted to cite me for something, so here I am, in the midst of insurance claims and trying to figure out if I'll survive going to court.

I talked to the insurance companies. Mine was awesome...super nice and prepared me for what the other company might say. The other insurance company tried to tear me a new one and the lady actually said to me, "how can you not expect to get hit if you switch lanes and have to stop?!" I laughed at her. Is she being serious? How can you drive like a crazy person in the conditions we were in and try and speed through a light like that? I know he was wanting to go through that light. Because...if he were paying attention, he would have hit the breaks like I did. It was raining for goodness sake. You can't drive like that in the rain.

So, it stinks. My car is not looking pretty. And, I'll have to pay a deductible...yuck.

Thankfully, my kids were not in the car. I'm grateful that I was able to walk away from the accident with no injuries...these days, you just never know what could happen. But what a pain the rear...haha, get it? Rear? The rear of my car? Man, I just crack myself up sometimes... I guess I'll update ya once I go to court. That should be fun. I hate public speaking and I know they will ask me questions...but it'll be worth it. Can't let people walk all over me like I do...

Our Vietnamese Hammock

This hammock was given to us by my dad over 8 years ago. He gave it to us before we were married and surprisingly, it made it through all of our moves and was never even put out at any of our many garage sales! We found it the other night and even though Ryan thought for one second that we should sell it, I told him "no way!" and said we couldn't part with it. It's been through too much! We've probably only ever opened it less than a dozen times, but now with the nice weather, we might have to pull it out more often. The kids definitely enjoyed it. It's low enough to the ground that we don't have to worry about them falling too far to the ground!

Just chillin':

What's funny to me is that it was made in Vietnam...and most of the population there is quite tiny. So, to see that it fits my boys the way it does, makes me laugh. Wonder if there is a weight limit on that bad boy!

How many licks does it take...

to get to the end of a banana-flavored popsicle?

I don't know if you love them like we do...
But we've even gotten crazy little Ronan to try them, too!

With his texture issues, still, we didn't think he'd even try it...but he has! He licks them in the middle and refuses to bite them. He won't let the popsicle touch his lips, but he'll stick his tongue out as far as he needs to in order to get taste!

I know, not totally exciting, but these pictures were too cute to not share!

Make Me An Offer

I had yet another garage sale today and what a wonderful place it can be to make a few extra dollars.  We all have stuff lying around.  Most of the stuff I had was collecting dust, literally.  I had to wipe it down and then wipe down the area it was sitting on for the past 2 years.  $262 later, I'm a pretty happy camper with a lighter load. 

I didn't empty out the garage...like I had wanted to.  A lot of the bigger items I had displayed didn't sell.  I know they were higher than garage sale prices, which is why I had them on craigslist, too.  I'm not dying to get rid of them, so I wasn't going to let someone rob me by pricing it too low.  

It does remind me about how I need to stay strong when people make offers and that what I had for the past 10 years, doesn't mean as much to someone else, so them offering me a quarter of what I priced it at shouldn't be a surprise.  I mean, how could they know that the Partylite candle holder was my first Partylite item and that I paid way too much for it.  They just know it holds candles and they want it cheap.  Makes me think that I need to start shopping more at garage sales, haggling and making offers, rather than pay full-price for a new item that might sit and collect dust at my house.

I'm taking a break though, from selling.  It's a lot of work.  I put up some signs.  I posted ads on craigslist.  I posted ads on other online communities in the area.  I priced everything.  I brought it out to the garage...and eventually, I'll have to find a new home for it somewhere in my small house.  I can see how people make a living out of it though...there is some major money to be made from people's junk becoming another's treasure. 

I'm just happy my old blender found a new home with her momma who paid a whopping $2 for it.  (I was asking for $3.)  Haha.