I'm Back!!!

I haven't blogged since last December when Ricky had the peanut butter scare. So many things have happened since and I just never got blogging back into my mommy routine. I also have not read any of my favorite bloggy friend blogs and I am hoping all the people I read about are fine. I plan on doing lots of catch-up.

It is now May and I can't believe I've been off blogger for that long. In a nutshell, here are the highlights of my life:

1. We had a good Christmas despite the roll of bad luck.

2. Ricky recovered from peanut butter attack. I spend hours at his school in meetings with the principal and assistant principal and I trained almost 20 lunch/recess parents on how to use an epi-pen.

3. Mark fractured his foot! He is still wearing the boot.

4. Mark got a new job!

5. My dad and stepmom visited for 2 weeks and stayed in my house. Nice to catch up with dear old dad!

6. Teddy had a medical diagnostic test by a world renown neurological pediatrician, and 5 therapists last week. After worrying that his speech delay is a sign of a brain problem or some form of autism, we are thrilled beyond belief that their conclusion is just an isolated speech delay and nothing more. Good news! Now Teddy is getting speech and development therapies weekly and now I am waiting for him to get approved to attend City Kids - which is a center where he can get occupational therapy for sensory stuff.

7. I'm a proud mama so bear with me while I brag about my kid a bit!

Ricky is really thriving in karate class. He is practicing his kata more than the arm pit farts now. He will have a belt test in 2 weeks - but I'm guessing he'll get stripes instead of a red belt. You have to be flawless to just skip the 5 stripes and get the belt - but we'll see.

Ricky also brought home a near perfect straight A report card. I couldn't be happier. Of course my family members rewarded him for each A and he was more than glad to fill his piggy bank. As a kid, my sister and I both got compensated for each A. Besides enjoying the achievement and doing it for yourself, it was nice to save up for that special thing.

8. Teddy turned 2 and Ricky turned 6!

Well those are the highlights since my last post. Looking forward to warmer weather and playing outside more. We're going to a play date this afternoon with about 5 other moms. Am I the only crazy person who will only invite 2 moms maximum- over? I think 5 moms with their kids is too many people - especially when they have little kids too. The 6 year old boys can take care of themselves though - so maybe it's not so bad.

I have bumped into Mandy (the mean mom) at birthday parties a few times and at the last one she was VERY VERY nice. I was nice back to her, of course, but after what happened, I just want to keep it cordial. No more play dates. No more inside information about my life. She started asking me personal information like we were friends again and I didn't want to share. I know that everything I tell her will be told to the 4 other moms in her circle (who I used to be friends with). She was the one who broke it off with me so why would I want to go back there? I am trying my best to take the high road and not tell anyone about what they did to me.

The new moms I am befriending keep asking me about the other moms and cliques and I just smile and say nothing. They have such a positive attitude toward the other moms and don't see the cliques and I don't want to ruin it for them. But I feel bad letting them find out by themselves and be victim to the B.S..... I don't know.

Plastic Bubble Please

I decided to change the look of my blog because...well...I may be getting old but I found the font and layout hard to read. So if I am lazy to read my own blog, who in the world would want to also?? Besides, change is good. Even though it's just a blog, it's exciting - I'm a kid again and I feel like I just rearranged the furniture in my bedroom. woo hoo!

Just when things seemed to be getting better in the house, Mark came down with the stomach flu last night. Coming out of both ends. Lovely. He was supposed to go to the Bulls game tonight with a friend. So he's out of commission - in bed as I type this - passed out with a bucket next to the bed. So I really was not meant to venture out to that Kindergarten moms night out. What a convenient excuse - to myself!

I am a frantic housewife, lysol-ing and wiping every door knob and surface. I suspect he caught this from the hospital a few days ago - the doctors mentioned a stomach bug going around. The last thing I need is for the boys to catch this - especially Teddy who just got out of the hospital a few days ago. He is still coughing and is having loose, yucky diapers - probably from the antibiotics he's taking. I hope he and Mark don't have the same thing.

Poor Ricky. Stuck at home. Thankfully I took him to the library yesterday afternoon and we checked out a bunch of books and dvds. It's pouring outside, so I don't feel so bad about staying in. It's a great day for board games!!

Date Night!! Date Night!! Gauge at the Bottom Lounge

Ricky and Teddy are having a sleepover at my mom's and Mark and I will be going to see Gauge's reunion show tonight at the Bottom Lounge. There will be a few people I used to party with there from college who I haven't seen since I left college - in 1995. Can't believe that was 15 years ago - where the hell did the time go anyway?

In college, there was a group of us who used to hang out together. Gauge band man Kevin was in our group - and he was roommates with my ex-boyfriend Stephen. A few years later, when I met my now husband Mark, it was discovered that he knew Kevin too - grew up with him in the Chicago suburbs. Neil was at my college too - he threw lots of good parties. Mark also knows him from high school.

We started hanging out with a work associate of Mark's named Jeremy and his wife. Their best friend Tina was dating this guy Gub and they are now married. He is also in Gauge.

I'm excited to have an evening out with a bunch of friends - and to see some friends I haven't seen in ages. Unfortunately, I am no longer the 105 pound girl they used to know. I hope their jaws don't drop too far when they see the meaty mother-of-two before them.

Mark worked tons of hours this week and has already alerted me that he plans on drinking heavily. I have been at home all week with the kids and I would like to drink heavily as well. I think we might splurge a little and cab it home. We don't have to pick up the boys til 11 a.m. tomorrow. I have to work at the library tomorrow at 1 so hopefully I won't get too shit-faced. I'm all about wine now not beer so I don't know what I'm going to drink there.....maybe I won't care.

V-day Memories

Mark has gotten these from me every V-day for the last 14 years. The first time, I mailed a box of these to him in college in his last semester. We weren't dating, we were just friends - and I kind of wanted something more.

I told my aunt T about it, and she came over that day with a Martha Stewart recipe and a heart shaped cookie cutter. The recipe was pretty crazy - it had about 20 ingredients. It was exciting to bake these and send them to a guy I liked. I was such a giddy schoolgirl. I sent them - red m&m in the middle of each and all in a box that I decorated in special valentine paper.

After I mailed the box, a day or so later, Mark called to thank me for the brownies. To save myself from utter humiliation, I told him that I also mailed a box of them to our mutual friend Jen (LIE!!).

When we were moving our stuff to the other house 2 years ago, I was surprised and touched to see that Mark actually kept the box that I sent the brownies in. If he didn't like me, he would've just thrown the box away, right?

So every Valentines Day, I make these for my hubby. My Aunt T would ask me every year if I baked them - and of course the answer was always yes. When I bake them, I always think about her and her help in getting-the-guy. I think about how much fun we had baking them and how I had to run to the grocery store THREE times that afternoon!! I think about how excited I was to send them to Mark and how embarassed I was after he received them. I plan on making these every Valentines Day for the rest of my life.

My favorite days of the year besides Christmas

Despite the fact that my lungs are still really noisy and squeaking, I was able to have a great weekend. Friday was my 35th birthday (am I middle-aged now?) and Mark took the day off to spend with us. We went out to lunch and saw "Igor" at the local theater - which was ok. I was kind of bored at times, but Ricky said he liked it and that's all that matters. Then we went out to dinner with my family. It was nice.

Saturday we just hung around the house and I cleaned. Mark went to with his guy friends to see My Bloody Valentine at the Aragon and I had 2 of my mommy friends over to watch the "Sex and the City" movie. I would've had 2 more friends over but they couldn't get sitters. It was a lot of fun. Ricky spent the night at my mom's and we were able to watch the movie without interruptions. I really liked it and can't believe it took me so long to see it. After my friends left, I took a shower and started watching it again until Mark came home. I know - kind of dorky.

Sunday was our 6th wedding anniversary. We picked up Ricky and went out to breakfast. We bought him some toys at ToysRUS and then took him miniature golfing. He had a blast. 18 holes with a 3 year old is an eternity but lots of fun. Took all afternoon though. We took him to the same place we went to when we were dating - when I almost knocked all of Mark's teeth out with my swing. Been like 10 years since we were there last. After that incident, Mark never wanted to take me back there - haha.

Since I stay home and our income is significantly smaller than it was before, we agreed to just do simple gifts or no gifts. So when Mark gave me a box to open - wrapped in hello kitty wrapping paper (yes I love hello kitty) I thought it was another figurine to add to my collection shelf. I was completely shocked to open the box and find a diamond necklace! Diamonds! He hasn't given me diamonds since our wedding because we were saving and trying to live on less. I am thrilled to bits but told him no diamonds for years. There are plenty of things we need money for - like a mortgage and tuition. I guess he was sneaking around and took my mom along for some support - even though in the end he ended up picking it out himself. I am completely touched.

You can imagine how bad I felt that my anniversary present to him was a Scrabble dictionary!! But that's okay I guess. I did buy him a guitar for Valentines Day and he got me chocolate. But no more big presents!

A Public Disturbance By Yours Truly

Yesterday, Mark and I took Ricky to the Bristol Renaissance Faire - just over the Illinois and Wisconsin border - as his reward for potty training. It was a nice day - great weather and the three of us were just excited to have a family day.

Let me start off by saying that I am always courteous to others - including strangers. I am the type of driver who lets people in front of me (as long as they use their turn signal) when driving, or lets the pregnant or elderly woman use the next available bathroom stall. As a librarian, I've been trained to be nice to people I don't know - but also to confront people when they're doing things they shouldn't be doing.

So Ricky and Mark were in line for the Ship Swings - which are these three wooden ships that swing. I was standing by the fence - just a few feet away from them, camera ready.

The line probably has about 16 groups waiting in line. Suddenly, the parade comes by - complete with the king and queen and their loyal subjects. All the people in line turn their heads to watch - but they are STILL in line.

Ricky and Mark were the 5th in line at the time, and this man who looked like Neuman from Seinfeld and his 5 year old daughter come up to the front of the line (next to where I was standing) and he said, "Can't tell where the line starts!!" - Clearly grasping the opportunity that the majority of the people in line have their heads turned the opposite direction. So he stood at the front of the line on the side with his daughter and didn't look like he was going anywhere. So I went up to him - about 8 inches away from his face and said, "Sir, the line starts back THERE" pointing to the back of the line. He totally pretended not to hear me.

Ok, if you want to play that way -

So he keeps standing there while the people in line go in the ride. Twice, I made motions for Mark to MOVE UP and he shrugged at me - clearly unaware of the man line-jumping. Sure enough, the man and his daughter make their move - and who do they cut in front of? Mark and Ricky.

The ship swing they were waiting for was right in front of me so of course I had to say something. I told him that it wasn't cool to line-jump and asked him if he felt good about setting an example for his daughter - letting her see that line-jumping is cool? He was very defensive and said that my husband should have spoken up, or moved up. I told him that I did tell him where the line was and that he pretended not to hear me. Any decent person would admit fault but this man raised his voice to the point of yelling at me. (for what?) I didn't swear because of the kids, but he was such an idiot that I left the conversation and said to him twice, "You're a loser." That actually hurt his feelings - I could tell from his face.

He looked at my belly and then told Mark that he and Ricky could take his ship. My husband said no, it was ok, but the man said that I was "freaking out" and insisted.

I guess I probably wouldn't have cared so much, but we had already waited 15 minutes in the heat for this ride - and I am pregnant and hormonal and didn't want to wait any longer than necessary - and this guy would cause me wait longer than I needed to.

After the ride, Mark told me he really didn't mind if the guy cut or not. I couldn't believe my ears because this is the same man who curses in the car when people try to merge in front of him. I have witnessed him intentionally tail-gating the car in front of him so the car merging can't get in front of us.

I guess I can't believe this guy would cut in line in front of so many little kids and their parents and not even care. It just goes to show that there are people out there who are so rude and inconsiderate of others and only care for themselves. I guess I run into so many nice people at the stores and the park on a daily basis that I have come to expect people to be nice in general.

So would you have said something to this guy - or would you have been silent and let him cut in front of so many people? Most of the people I have told this story to have told me that they would have stayed silent. Are you fricking kidding me?

Our Valentines Day Tradition

About 11 years ago when Mark and I weren't even near dating, I had a mad crush on him and wanted him to know. So I baked him some heart-shaped brownies (complete with red m&m in the middle) and mailed them to him in college.

After I sent the package off, I realized that I remembered he said he didn't like chocolate. I tried to get my package back but the post office would not give it back to me.

Mark called me a few days later to thank me and said that he brought the brownies to the art studio and his fellow art students helped him eat them.

Somehow, through the years, Mark has grown to like chocolate more and more. Like I do every year on Valentines Day, I baked him these. I asked him if he wanted to bring them to work to share with his co-workers and he said no - that he wanted to eat them himself!

A Good Reason To Drink Your Milk

Ricky sometimes wanders into the bathroom when Mark is taking a shower during the week and talks to his dad while playing with some toys. This is a good time they spend together even if it lasts just 10 minutes. Sometimes when Mark works late, he spends a total of 15 minutes with Ricky in one day because by the time he comes home, Ricky is in bed sleeping. So of course, while he is playing with his toys on the bathroom floor, he may notice his father's private parts.

Mark told me that Ricky said "Daddy, you have a big penis. I have a small penis. I want a big penis. I should drink my milk!!!" Needless to say, I wrote this in his baby book just so I remember to tell him about it when he's a grown man.

Accidental Co-Sleeping Hell

We have a huge problem. For the last 3 months or so, Ricky has been getting up in the middle of the night - usually between 12am and 2am, and yelling, "MOM-ee...mom-EEE??" over and over again, until I go to his room, pick him up, and bring him to our bed.

He has his own room and his own big boy bed. However, over the summer, Mark and I have been guilty of joining Ricky for his after-lunch nap and inviting him to share our bed. So much so that gradually Ricky has come to view our bed as *his* bed and has been expecting to come into our bed every night since. So this isn't partially our fault - it is completely our fault.

We have a queen size bed, so there's not a whole lot of room, and I typically lose - with only a few inches on the very edge to my name. Ricky is a swatter, kicker, and puncher in his sleep and I have awoken several times to believing someone was attacking me.

This really sucked over the weekend. I worked Saturday and am still sick and Mark did lots of work at my mom's house and was just tired. Ricky came in our bed at midnight and proceeded to whine and talk and would not go to sleep and this went on and on throughout the course of the night. Not only are we sleep-deprived but this has impacted reproductive chances. You can't have sex when your toddler is in bed with you and if you do, then you are a sick mf-er!!

We decided that enough is enough.

Last night, when Ricky called, I sat at his bed, stroked his head and back and stayed there for as long as I could until he fell asleep. I have to wait until he is in deep sleep, you see, because our hardwood floors are the creakiest things in the world. One loud creak and I am up shit's creek!!

I think we will have to purchase a gate for his room as well. Since he has a big boy bed, he can just waltz right into our room or go into any room in the house. There is a paranoid part of me that does worry about not being able to get to him in the event of a fire, but what is the difference if he were still in his crib like his other friends? This has to stop. I am so tired all the time!

My Dear and Loving Husband of 5 Years

Today Mark and I are celebrating our 5 year anniversary and I must say that I could not have found a better mate to share my life with. He has been so good to me and we have shared so many good things together. I love him with all my heart.

I must thank Mark for everything he has put up with from me all these 5 years of marriage and the 6 years of courtship before. Namely:

1. My messy desk that I have been cleaning....for 7 years

2. My procrastination habit

3. My long long hair that seems to land on every space of flooring in the house

4. My fear of bugs & insects & the fact that I yell for Mark to do it instead of doing it myself

5. My habit of getting American idioms wrong and Mark not saying anything when I pull the "my parents were immigrants" card

6. Living with my bad habit of putting my foot in my mouth around people we do not know ("So you live here with your mother," (when the guy lived there with his WIFE) "I'm sure your daughter walks just fine now..." (when her daughter was sitting in a wheelchair - I didn't see her) "So are you putting on your burka for your mother-in-law's benefit?" etc etc etc

7. My fear of the squirrel trap

8. My inability to understand ANY foreigners with any type of accent - even if they are speaking English

9. My love of seafood, books, and foreign films (not bad things, but things Mark's not really into)

10. blank - I'll let Mark fill this one in because I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting - although he may claim he needs more than one space to fill...

We had a great weekend to celebrate our anniversary. Little Ricky spent the weekend with my mother and we got a hotel room downtown. We walked around and went shopping, stopped to leisurely sip coffee - which I never get to do anymore, went out to dinner and had a blast. We also had brunch at the Signature Room - which I highly recommend. We had our wedding reception there and felt like going up there for a nice meal. The food was great and we stuffed ourselves so much we napped for 4 hours that afternoon!!

I love this time of year!