Can't....think....straight.

I'm finding that the more I have to do, the less I'm getting done. Not good. Focus, Nancy, focus. I think I used to be really good at juggling a thousand things at once. Not so much anymore for some reason. I think it's the fact that every 5 to 7 minutes someone calls out "Mommy!" and I'm supposed to react. It tends to break one's train of thought. Where was I..

Gotta run, gotta work.

This weekend has been nice. The three of us spent time in the yard on Saturday since it was such gorgeous weather and we planted some pretty flowers. Pauly decided to work on "the hole" (ugh...it's a project he's been OBSESSED with for the past 18 months, no lie. It was a sinkhole that started smallish, then grew to be about 3 feet deep and about 5 feet wide. Apparently years ago when our house was built, the ground wasn't packed firmly enough. But I digress...) So, as Pauly continued to fill "the hole", Zeke and I enjoyed the sun, played with the pups, and put in some nice new Marigolds.

On Sunday we took a trip to Longwood Gardens to take part in the kite flying festival. Zeke made a kite in the Longwood tent, then flew it on their beautiful grounds. It was fun to see him running through the field with about 5,000 other kids trying to get their kites up into the air too.

So now I return home and realize that, yep, a mountain of laundry still awaits me. It haunts me. It's always there no matter how far I run. So, I loaded up both the washer and dryer this evening and I'm making a go at it. I sorta' HAVE to since we're leaving for our first of 3 summer trips at the end of this week. I need clean clothes to pack! I have a feeling this week is going to be all work, no play...but come this weekend...WOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO! We're off to see Mickey! Maybe I'll blog live and in person while I'm in Mickey's hood, but I kind of doubt it. I foresee tons of running around, sunscreen re-application, and exhaustion...in a major way. But hey, your kid only turns 4 once, right???

Here's to a productive week...

Eleven, Baby!!!!

Today I've been married for 11 years. To be honest, way back when, I never even thought I could BE married. Couldn't fathom the idea. Life was fun being on my own, having a career, a condo, and a cool car. Then I saw Pauly in a library. I asked my friend who he was, told my friend to introduce me, and the rest is history. Funny how 11 years later everything is so different. I now have a much different, ummm, "career" (a.k.a.: trying to grow a boy into a man), a house that always cries out for attention, and an SUV instead of a convertible. Add to the mix various and sundry pets and well, the brew I've got on my "life stove" is bubbling over at times. But ya' know what? Amidst all the skinned knees, bumped heads, barking, chirping, stain removal, 30-minute-meals, preschool woes, butt-wiping (yeah, Zeke still hasn't gotten it down..), grocery shopping, storybook reading, handwriting lessons, manner reminders, and most of all, kisses/hugs/"I Love You's"....I've learned that life is so much more than a universe centered around me. I'm a small part of a big thing here. And what I've got to do is tread gently, love unconditionally, stay humble, and trust God. Mostly, I need to give my son the tools to do the same. And today, more than most days, I'm happy I'm doing all of that with Pauly by my side. Happy anniversary Pauly. I love you.

Egg Dyeing at it's Finest

Today was one of those days that you're just plain ol' happy you have certain people in your life. I love these types of days. And here's why: I took Zeke up to Doylestown with me to my old college roommate's house so we could dye Easter eggs together. Now, not in a million years, would Eileen and I have EVER thought 20 years ago that we'd be dying Easter eggs together with our sons on a Friday evening...I think we probably would have thought our Friday evenings would have consisted of a bit more adult entertainment. But, alas, Big Ei and I have definitely lost some of the "wow factor" from our weekends now that the big night out is to dye Easter eggs with the kiddos. No biggie, we did really have fun catching up, letting the kids play, and simply just chatting about life in general. One thing I've learned about Big Ei...no matter how much time passes since the last time I've seen her, I feel like I can mesh right on in with our friendship wherever we left off. That, I believe, is the true test of a lifetime friendship. So, sorry to tell ya' Big Ei....you're stuck with me forever girlie! I had too much fun seeing you and your crew today and Zeke is already telling me he'll "try harder to be good" the next time (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!). So, thanks for the fun, for the company, and for the fab egg dyeing. Even tho Sophie's eggs kinda' blew ours outta' the water, I think the boys' all looked pretty darned good. I think we should make this a new tradition - eggs at Ei's every year!!!

So, as we end this day, we have gorgeous gem colored hard boiled eggs ready to fill Zeke's Easter basket that'll be waiting for the Easter Bunny tommorrow night! We're getting pretty excited! Here's hoping everyone gets a visit from the Big Bunny!!! Good Luck!

No hunting allowed.

Easter egg hunts are terrifying. And I'm not alone in my horror. As we were standing along the perimeter of what looked like a sea full of gems (it was actually a huge lawn full of plastic Easter eggs), my heart was racing. The countdown was about to begin and Zeke was ready to run and gather all the eggs he could in about 10 seconds flat. Now, why, tell me, would I be nervous at an Easter egg hunt??? I kept asking myself that and silently telling myself how ridiculous I was for feeling anxious about what was about to commence. UNTIL....one of the moms to my left spoke up. It was like we were at at EEHA Meeting - Easter Egg Hunters Anonymous if you aren't catching my drift. She did it. She spoke of her husband's childhood trauma and lifted the cloud of darkness that I think all of us were secretly carrying for so long. Apparently, when her hubby was a child at an Easter egg hunt he was terrorized. He waited through the countdown, ran out onto that huge egg-covered field, swiftly gathered the coveted eggs in his basket as fast as his tiny hands could grab them, when suddenly the unthinkable happened....his basket tipped and all of his eggs flew out. Someone swooped in, took all of his eggs and he was left with nothing. This woman said that to this very day, her husband HATES Easter egg hunts and funny enough, he was quite obviously absent from the day's events. She said he has nightmares about losing his eggs and repeatedly trying to get them all back into his basket. CAN YOU IMAGINE???? This is what I say: Easter egg hunts are too stressful. It's too much build up for too short of an event. It's far worse than, say, a wedding. At least a wedding lasts a few hours! But to get all psyched up for something that lasts 10 seconds???? I don't see the point. That's just not funny, bunny.

And how was your day?

Yesterday was a crazy day. I saw rainbows and 6 foot tall hot dogs in drive thrus. I attempted to do laundry, failed, and decided that baking (burning) a batch of Pauly's favorite brownies would be a better option. I attended a school book fair, shopped in a dollar store for all things Sponge Bob, bought live clams against my better judgment, and decided I was going to really try to let my nails grow longer. I finalized our Disney World trip and researched a trip to Arizona, I paid bills online and Facebooked a bit. I downloaded pictures of Zeke and his friends and spent the next 10 minutes crying as I studied his baby pictures on my computer - boy, how time flies when you have a child. I thought about getting a spray tan but none of my friends would go with me (and for some reason, I just won't go alone) and I made plans with Eileen to dye Easter eggs next Friday. I counted down the minutes until Pauly came home from his business trip and I played Zingo about 3 or 4 times with Zeke. I learned that you can play Zingo with a 3 year old and look fully engaged while simultaneously daydream about what kind of car you want to get next.

Who said life as a stay at home mom was boring?

F-f-f-fooolin.

I like April Fool's Day. For one, it's my mom's birthday. What a cool birthday, don't you think? Not to mention, she's a bit on the funny/foolish side, so it fits her personality (no offense, momsy - you know you're goofy...). And April Fool's Day is a great day to pull out my hidden acting abilities on Pauly. Last year, I played the old "I lost The King (Otto the chihuahua) and I've been searching the neighborhood for hours now...". I had Pauly going for a good five minutes until The King barked in the background and Pauly hung up on me. It was great. This year I wasn't prepared. For mom's birthday or for a great prank. I think having lost a lung in The Great Weekend Puking Incident put a damper on the awesomeness of the day. So, instead, Zeke and I spent the day with friends, then headed down to my mom's for a quiet dinner.

Happy Birthday Mom!!! You little April Fool!