Leavin'

When Ashley got home from school yesterday, she went to her room and promptly fell asleep. She has never done that in her almost 5 years of life. To say this new schedule and stuff is making her tired is an understatement. I think me and her and the other little one who did not go to sleep until after 10:00pm last night really need a few days to reconnect as a family and just have fun.

So today at 11:00am we are driving to Disney. We hadn't originally planned to go this weekend. I was fearful of the crowds, and I didn't want Ashley to miss school. But then I said what the heck with it, she only turns five once in her life, and missing 3 days of kindergarten isn't going to be the end of the world. Ray has a conference on Saturday and Sunday, so it will be just me and the girls hanging out and visiting Mickey Mouse. And then Monday is Ashley's birthday. We plan to go to breakfast and then she is getting made over to look like Hannah Montana. That part she does not know about.

I plan on blogging about this daily just for me so that I remember what happened, because I am old and tend to forget. Just like I forgot to pack Ashley a drink in her lunchbox yesterday. Any takers on what we will forget to pack for this trip??

A few things...

- Yes, we are leaving Friday for Disney. Yes, we are taking Ashley out of school for three days. And yes, that means we are horrible parents.

- No, this week has not been good. Ashley has decided her new time to wake up is 5:00am. Yesterday wasn't too bad, but today was a different story. I can only fight so many battles. I know this kindergarten thing is a huge adjustment, I realize that. I just don't know how to make her sleep past 5:00am.

- No, I am not going to Blogher. Would I like to go? I don't know. I have heard so many conflicting things about it. My goal with this blog isn't to have 100 comments, or even 3. My goal is to connect with others in the same predicaments as me, and to document my life with my kids. Everything else that comes out of blogging is a huge bonus. So to go to Blogher to promote my blog would not be a goal. To go to Blogher to meet people would, but it also seems that Blogher is always the weekend of Ashley's birthday, so I am pretty sure I will never go. Good God, I am good at rambling.

A few tips needed...

These may seem completely unrelated and random. And they are, but I need some tips/advice/suggestions:

1. By the time I roll around to crawling into bed each night, I am so thirsty I normally pop open a can of diet coke. Probably not the best choice for drinks right before bed. Anyone have any good flavored water they like that is low in sugar and calories that might quench my nightime thirst?

2. Ashley has been putting her hair in her mouth lately and it is driving me NUTS. Besides shaving her head, any suggestion would be welcome.

3. Ashley seems to be getting on my very last nerve, but she has taken up growling at us. Punishments have been passed out repeatedly, and the growling is still happening. Maybe I should record it for you guys. And maybe growling isn't a good term, more like a grunt that she is totally and utterly pissed at us for making her doing something so mundane as to brush her teeth. Or possibly take a shower.

4. I need a few good keep the kids entertained in the car tricks. We are traveling to the happiest place on earth on Friday.

It's been one of those weeks...

First off, Ashley loves kindergarten. She really didn't get the full effect yesterday since we have staggered entry for kindergarten here, and only 5 other students were with her yesterday. That and now she doesn't go back until Monday, but she still loved it.

I, on the other hand, was a wreck. I got the girls ready for school with a few minor hiccups (Ashley thinks tunics are dresses and I battled with her to wear shorts under her tunic that she thought was a dress...note to self, do not buy any more tunics). We got to her elementary school just as they were letting everyone in the school. I signed in and walked the girls down to Ashley's class. I made sure Ashley knew where she was going and she did. I did a quick goodbye and that was it.

Audrey and I made it back to the van and had to stop and look at all the school buses. Audrey kept saying she wanted to go on one, and I told her she would eventually (like she understood). I had held it together for the most part.

And then I tried to take Audrey to her school, and she screamed and cried and threw a fit. So there I was, in the parking spot closest to the school so that everyone could hear Audrey screaming that she didn't want to go. A neighbor saw my predicament, and came over to try and help and I started crying. I blubbered about dropping Ashley off and now Audrey was throwing a fit. We somehow got Audrey calmed down enough to walk to her classroom, and then her teachers did a great job of prying her off of me.

So there it was, the first day of school for Ashley. She rode the bus home and last night, she was wiped out. Everything ended in a crying fit when we were trying to get her to bed. We are going to start putting both kids to bed on time as we have let it slip the past few weeks to almost 9:00pm, and it's wearing on them and me.

You have heard me whine about it enough...

And tomorrow is the day.

Ashley's first day of kindergarten.

And she doesn't want me to take me to her class in the morning.

Since when do I listen to an almost five year old?

Moving on...anniversary celebration

So Saturday morning, Ray and my stepdad played golf (they had a tee time at 6:30am). I had a haircut at 8:30am, Ashley had a cheerleading meeting at 9:00am, and we had a birthday party that both girls were invited to at 10:30am. To say we were running around was an understatement. My Mom entertained the girls at our town's farmer's market when I was getting my hair cut, and then we rushed (I didn't get to get my hair styled, no time) to the cheerleading meeting. And off from that to the birthday party which we made in time.

Everyone met up for lunch, and then back to our house to pack. Then Ray and I left the girls in good hands and were off. Ray had booked a hotel room in Chapel Hill which is only about 45 minutes from our house. We stayed at The Carolina Inn which is on UNC's campus. Beautiful hotel (and no, I did not take my camera which I kicked myself for later). Everyone that we talked to that had gone to UNC for college told us it would be fun and that Franklin street was the place to go. It was within walking distance to our hotel.

Unfortunately, Franklin street was dead. As in hardly anyone anywhere. There were bars to go to, and we did have dinner at Top of the Hill, which supposedly Michael Jordan owns (he went to UNC for those who don't know). But dinner was extremely expensive. We actually ended up at the bar at our hotel where at least the bartender was friendly. I asked him if he went to UNC, and he actually went to West Virginia (WVU) and hated UNC and Virginia Tech, which was fine. To each his own.

We were impressed we actually stayed up until 11:00pm, but promptly crashed. Sunday morning we hit the local Panera Bread and were back home by 9:15am. We missed the girls and knew my Mom and Stepdad wanted to get home.

It was nice to get away, and we had never explored Chapel Hill, so that was nice. I would say we would only go back there if we went with other people. Otherwise, there are plenty of other places in NC we have not been to yet and would love to go visit.

Because I am honestly nuts.

I decided this year that I would have Ashley's birthday party at our house. Ashley never really had a place in mind to do her party, and I really enjoy planning this sort of thing. I have my research done, games and activities picked out, food planned, supplies ordered, cake pan ordered, invitations done.

I was thinking that this party would actually cost less than doing it somewhere like a jump place or even the dreaded Chuck E. Cheese, and I am very quickly realizing that it definitely will not be cheaper. I have my spreadsheet keeping track of my expenditures (the accountant in me), and I am already at almost $100 without even buying food and some decorations. I may still be able to keep it under $200 which I think is about what it would cost to do her party at some sort of party place.

One thing I definitely saved money on was doing the invitations myself. Plus, I got alot of enjoyment doing them, and Ashley really liked them. They just took me about two weeks because as I said in yesterday's post, I am starting projects and not finishing them. I finally finished them Sunday night, and here they are. I have obviously marked through our address, but here they are. I used glitter glue to outline the guitar shape, and up the guitar says "It's no secret, Ashley's having a rockin' birthday party". Yes, it's a Hannah Montana birthday party.

We invited 13, but I know at least three of them invitees cannot make it, so there will be 10 screaming girls in my house. God help me.

Happy Belated Father's Day

Happy Belated Father's Day to my Dad, my Stepdad, and my Father-in-Law and to all the other Fathers out there. Nothing big or exciting here for Father's Day. This week is a pretty big week in our house with Ashley's graduation and our 10 year wedding anniversary, both on Friday.

Saturday I ran the Race for the Cure. More than 25,000 people participated in Raleigh for the event. It is sad to see all the pink papers on people's backs saying "in memory of". I thought about Terri's sister-in-law Rena who just passed away. Through all the sadness of those who were lost, there were those survivors who were celebrated at the event as well.

Saturday night we went to a bluegrass concert in a town called Saxapahaw. The music was great as always, but something I never thought I would see...Ashley rode a kayak attached to a zip line. And yes, I do have pictures, when I get some breathing room I will post them.

So Sunday was just church and hanging out. Audrey had a playdate with a friend at her school, and we had dinner at a friend's house and then enjoyed their neighborhood pool. Audrey didn't nap on Sunday, so she crashed pretty hard when we got home.

The only other noteworthy thing worth mentioning from this weekend was a water main break in the water treatment plant that supplies our town. Sunday morning our phone rang at 7:00am, and it was the town letting us know that we were only to use our water for drinking and cooking until further notice. So far, we still have water and we are expected to be back to normal by today or tomorrow. Luckily our gym is not in our town and they have showers there.

Work Related

I guess I never really clarified why I changed jobs, or the history of me changing jobs. I am not one to change jobs alot. My last job in Virginia before moving here I was at for 7 years, and would probably still be there if we were still living in Virginia. I worked in the healthcare industry, and when we decided to move to North Carolina, I obviously interviewed in the industry I was most comfortable in. I pretty much went from one health system to another - they both even used the same accounting software. There weren't many differences in the two jobs.

Except the job got boring...I mean really boring. And political. And people started getting fired. And I didn't want to deal with it anymore. Parking was an issue, changes were coming that I didn't feel like waiting around for. I wasn't happy at all, and it was not fun to go to a job everyday that I was not happy at.

So off I went, found a head hunter, and gave my specific instructions of what I wanted as far as location and work/life balance. And I got what I wanted, and so far so good. I am finally out of health care, but with that comes a ton of stuff I need to learn, which is good.

I think I deal fairly well with change. My attitude at this point is I am 32 years old, if I can't handle it by now, then what the hell am I doing. This is much better than when I was little...I used to literally worry so much about the first day of school, I would throw up. Now, I wasn't even all that nervous on my first day. I just hope I didn't pass that worry down to the girls.

Bedtime

I went into Ashley's room last night to check on her and this is what I got:

"Ashley, you are still awake."
"I am because my mind is awake but I am asleep and my mind won't tell me what I dreamed about and then my mind will tell me and I had a dream about something my mind won't let me tell you and those shadows are kind of scary and I don't like the dark and I sprayed happy spray and it didn't help and my mind might be asleepnowandonthatepisodeofHannahMontanaMileywassleepwalking....."

And then I kicked myself for going in and checking on her.

Have I ever told you Ashley likes to talk?

And yes, the new job? Fabulous.

My Tattoos...

Yes, I have two of them. No, I was not drunk when I got them.

My first one I got in college. My friend Jaki was getting a tattoo (of Mickey Mouse no less) and I wanted one as well. I wanted something small and somewhere not visible when wearing normal clothes as I wasn't quite sure how my parents would take it. I ended up getting a gecko lizard on my stomach, close to my right hip. And why no picture of that tattoo? I have a lovely stretch mark going right through the darn thing.

I am not a creative person when it comes to stuff...I can definitely follow directions and make curtains and find creative ideas for birthday parties and such, but coming up with ideas on my own doesn't normally happen. I guess with the tattoos I have I feel like they are a creative representation of myself on me.

The second tattoo I got almost a year ago. My friend Julie and I went to Virginia Tech for the weekend. I completely trusted the place I had my first one done, so we stopped by there again when we were there. I wanted something on my shoulder, something small to represent the music side in me. I ended up with a treble clef.

Every once in a while, I will hear someone say something derogatory about tattoos, like "look at those, how disgusting" or "who would be stupid enough to do that". I think it's all about expression. I wouldn't ever go and get a tattoo on my face, but I am not going to be critical of those who do. To each his own.

And yes, Ashley has asked me why my tattoos don't come off like hers. I went into detail how a needle was used to put ink into my skin. I am pretty sure that killed all ideas of her getting one in the near future.

Go check out Sunshine's site for more tattoo stories...

Potty Training Still Sucks

Anyone else totally sucked into the College Softball World Series like myself? Pathetic, I know, but I love it. Of course, I loved it that Virginia Tech was in it for a fleeting moment, but I am still watching. Ray of course hates it and groans everytime he sees it on tv. I have to remind him that I sit through enough of Mad Money and that screaming guy that he owes me.

I am back at work, my last week at my current job before starting my new job next week. Clearing stuff out, passing stuff on. Good times. Of course, I will be a nervous wreck on Sunday night before starting my new job.

Last week was good, I enjoyed all the time with the girls, but I think everyone was ready to get back into a routine. Oh, and Audrey is not potty trained. She didn't use the potty once on Thursday or Friday morning, so I abandoned the idea of training her for now. I figure I will try again in a month.

It was nice last week too to take a break from my computer. I only got on to check email and blog briefly, but not being on it for 8 hours a day and then a hour or two at night was nice. I feel refreshed and renewed. Just in time for summer.

Memorial Day and Beyond...

On the way home from the wedding we attended on Sunday night, we heard a tear inducing story about a female soldier returning home to applause at the airport. Ray said that when he went to San Diego last month, there was a gentleman in first class who gave up his seat to a soldier. It's those stories that touch my heart and make me believe in the American spirit. God Bless all Service Men and Women today...

On an unrelated note, we are not back home yet from Virginia. I am still here, Ray is back in North Carolina. And I am off all week, so tomorrow I am taking the girls to an amusement park on the way home from Virginia. I am making my brother come with me to help out, even though it means Mike has to rent a car to do so (Thanks Uncle Mike!!).

I have grand plans for the rest of the week - really finish potty training Audrey and get rid of all sippy cups. Not sure why I do this to myself, but what the heck, may as well make the week exciting. So if my blogging this week is spotty, that's why...

What did we forget this time...

So remember when we went to Disney last year and we forgot diapers? And just last weekend when we went to the beach, we forgot Ashley's swimsuit. All sort of minor things that could easily and cheaply be purchased.

We are in Northern Virginia for a wedding.

We forgot the clothes for the wedding. A suit for Ray; the dress I bought at the outlets for me...

Crap.

Oh, and I just realized? I forgot my pjs. And I am taking the girls to an amusement park on Tuesday....I forgot the stroller.

You think a list might of helped?

New What?

On June 9th, I start a new job. It's still with accounting, but I will be a financial consultant and getting away from the routine of an accountant in a corporation. Great job, unbelievable benefits, great hours, family friendly.

And this did not come out of left field. And yes, I am still taking classes, but I am not finishing them when I thought I was. I obviously can't read a class schedule. But I could not stay in this job anymore. To go to a job you are not happy at is hard. It's one thing to not like working (who does?), but it's another to sit at a desk all day not happy.

So the craziness of last week? This is why. I was getting the offer for the new job, resigning from my old. Not fun. I hate doing that stuff. I hate confrontation, I hate making people mad.

So I am at this job this week until Wednesday. Thursday we are going back to Virginia for a wedding and to have a BBQ with Julie and her family. Then the following week I am taking a week's vacation and hanging out with the kids. Then one more week at my current job, and then off to my new one the following week.

I am so not stressed anymore.

I can't seem to get my act together...

Ever feel like stuff is just piling up, one thing on top of another, without stopping? I can't get back on my routine for anything. The alarm went off this morning, and I could barely open my eyes. Thankfully Ray got up first for the shower and gave me a few extra minutes of sleep. Audrey is still waking up in the middle of the night since being sick. I guess I fell asleep on the floor of her room last night because I was in there for two hours.

I just want to get one thing done in my house - the "great curtain project of 2008"; cleaning out my scrapbooking room; giving a good spring cleaning to the first floor of our house.

I am also in this weepy state over the fact that Ashley starts kindergarten in July. She told me yesterday that she is bored in Pre-K and doesn't want to go anymore. I think this mostly stems from the fact that one of her friends is no longer there as her Mom took her out to go on vacation for three weeks. The guilt hit me hard - I wish I could take her out and just hang out for a few days.

So I am trying to get back to regulary posting and picking up the slack on my other blogs. I was actually late with my submission this week for Trianglemom2mom. I think our editor is okay with it, as she has a three year old and knows how time can get away from us.

Horrible, horrible child...

The horrible child? Me. Friday was my Dad's birthday and he reads this as does my Stepmom. But did I bother to wish him Happy Birthday here? Nope. Left him a message at his house of which he was out of town for the weekend and I didn't call his cell phone because I didn't know he was out of town until today when Ray told me he called when I was out of town this week and told Ray that he was going to be out of town. Get it?

Anyway, Happy 53rd (I think??) birthday Dad. Here's to many more.

And Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there, whether you are a Mom to a dog, cat, or a child, I hope it was a good one. We played it low key here today. I got a Photoshop CS3 book to hopefully improve my abilities. You know, when I have time to sit down and actually look at it. I worked for a while on the curtains I am making. Hopefully in the next six months I will get to show them to you. Or not. The goal is to finish them by the end of May. I am really good at setting goals.

Audrey is sick. We actually ended up taking her in to the pediatrician on Saturday morning. She is completely stuffed up and running a fever off and on. With her asthma, we have to be careful with this kind of stuff. The doctor said it's probably viral, but gave her medicine anyways. It's so sad to see her bad off, especially at night. I know how miserable I am when I can't sleep when I have a cold, and she has ended up in our beds the past few nights.

The only other major event from this weekend (besides the whole Mother's Day thing...) was the launch party for the site I am featured on weekly for our local newspaper, the News and Observer. They had it at the kids museum Marbles in downtown Raleigh. We had a little meet and greet time we were obligated to be there. It was cute, and I took Ashley with me so Ray could take Audrey to the doctor. Here is a really random picture from the cake cutting...the lady (Sarah) in the middle is who runs the site and picked the bloggers. This picture is Leigh's daughter, Ella, who Ashley became instant friends with. They are close in age (Ella turns 5 this month, Ashley turns 5 in July), and they bonded immediately. We have determined we will be doing some pool playdates this summer as I see this as a friendship that can only get better.

And yes, that would be a Hannah Montana shirt she is wearing. Thanks to my Mom who sent her two more shirts. Now she wants to sleep in them.

Neglectful

I realize I have been neglecting this blog the past few days...Friday pictures will be up at some point this weekend. That quick trip did enough damage to my sleep and then Audrey decided to get up every 2 hours last night. I have so much more I want to say about the trip and the wonderful people I met. I just need time to sit down and get my thoughts out.

Stress is something I think Ray and I handle well; there may be some days where we handle it better than others, but in all, we get through. I have been commiserating with Molly and seeing what she has been going through with having two houses (and a third baby on the way...). It's what we are living right now. In April, our renter of two years moved out of our house in Virginia. I guess I haven't really discussed it much because I keep thinking that someone will come through and do something with the house, either rent or buy.

I also haven't discussed it much because I don't want to get the "we did it to ourselves" thing. Yes, we chose to relocate to Raleigh at the exact time the market started crashing. We weren't forced into moving. Would we be miserable right now if we hadn't moved? Absolutely. We don't regret moving at all. If the price to pay for happiness is two mortgages, we will take it.

Thankfully, Ray's Dad has reactivated his license in Virginia and has been showing our house. And we have gotten some showings; even some more than once. We are keeping our fingers crossed. Which is all we can do at this point.

I am exhausted...

This has been unreal...want to know what I did today? Shot a gun for the first time in my life and went fly fishing for the first time in my life. And I actually did okay at both.

Who helped me not be afraid at clay shooting? Jason Fogelson (his wife left a comment on my last post, thanks Robin!) from About.com. Super nice guy, and a great clay shooter as well. I did okay, I just got knocked in the jaw once, and that was it for me.

And it is totally pathetic, but I am already sore from fly fishing. I have a bad habit of putting a death grip on things such as golf clubs and baseball bats. I did the same with the fishing rod, and I am sore in my shoulder from it.

A couple others I have met: Ruth from Woman's Day, Jason from Outdoorzy.com, some guys from GMNext, Chad from Sticks and Stones.

I also met some folks from Orvis since we were at their facility today. I have plenty of information to share over the next few days....

Right now, I am trying to get enough energy to get out of my chair and get dressed for dinner. And guess what? I have to leave for the airport at 5:00am tomorrow morning.

Um, Yea...

I don't even know where to start. Today has been a long day, and in a good way.

Unfortunately, it started out with a guy having a heart attack on my first flight. We weren't too far from the gate, so we pulled back into the gate and he was taken off the flight.

Then my next flight from Philly to Newburgh-Stewart was delayed by almost two hours. And then I shared transportation to the hotel with a race car driver who is also a soon to be reality tv star...and that person is female.

AND there are only 11 of us invited. AND I am the only "Mommy Blogger". I kept getting asked who I work for as everyone else works for someone...Woman's Day Magazine, some woman's outdoor magazine (I promise to get details tomorrow).

I did meet this guy and this guy (damn, can't find his site, I will get a card tomorrow) and they are super nice. And the soon to be reality tv star is super nice too.

The head guy leading this from GM not only lived in Virginia near where we did, but he is also a Hokie and can hook me up in Disney with some Fastpasses.

Sorry if this is not detailed enough, I will get more coherent thoughts tomorrow. I am tired from a long travel day, meeting everyone, figuring this whole event out. I am nervous and excited about tomorrow. I have an Eco-challenge in the morning followed by clay shooting and fly fishing. And I have been told there are prizes, and everyone knows how competitive I am.