My sister did this on her blog so I thought it would be fun to do this on mine.
1.) Name the last four things you have bought:
1.)GAP striped shirt/matching pants for me
2.) hair accessories for my girls from Gymboree
3.)eggs
4.) egg nog
2) Name four drinks you regularly drink:
1.) OJ
2.)juice
3.) vanilla Coke
4.)juice
3) Last time you cried?
November 19, 2004
4) What is in your CD player?
Alanis Morrisette
5)What's under your bed right now?
safe deposit boxes, kids baby books, kids breathing machines, kitty kats
6) What time did you wake up today?
9 a.m.
7) Current hair?
long layers and highlights (and actually not pulled back in a ponytail)
8) Current clothes?
GAP brown cord pants, GAP striped turtleneck sweater and kitty kat socks
9) Current desktop picture?
My girls in their Gymbo Sunflower Fields shirts wearing Chinese princess hats my dad brought them back from China. Olivia is wearing hers upside down.
10) Current worry?
Whether or not I'm going to move in the next couple of months.
11) Current hate?
I don't have one right now.
12) Favorite places to be?
Ft. Myers Beach, FL, Roach Harbor,WA, looking at Lake Erie
13) Least favorite place?
Stuck in an elevator - I'm clostorphobic
14) If you could play an instrument?
The piano - I used to play when I was a kid.
15) Favorite color(s)?
Purple - my dad tells me ever since I saw Donny Osmond wearing purple socks have I loved that color.
16) How tall are you?
The shortest in my family even though I'm the oldest.
17) Favorite expression? There is never a place or time in this world that I can't find a place for time-out or a smack. (my kids hate it when I say that)

18) One person from your past you wish you could talk to:
Sheryl La Falce
19) Favorite day(s)?
Sunday - I enjoy our committment to being together as a family and just hanging out
20) Where would you like to go?
Back to Ireland.
21) Where do you want to live when you get married?
We live in on the west side of Cleveland and don't want to leave.
22) Favorite foods?
Chocolate, seafood, a good cut of meat
23) Color of most clothes you own:
Blue
24) Number of pillows you sleep with?
3 - one for my head and one on either side
25) What do you wear when you go to sleep:
Only my husband knows.
26) What were you doing 12AM last night:
Talking to my sister and brother-in-law and working on my poor blog.
27) How old will you be in 10 years:
42 - that's scary!!
28) What do you think you'll be doing in 10 years:
Working in a Labor and Delivery unit as a Lactation Consultant or Postpartum teacher.
29) Do you have braces?
Never - I was the only one of the sisters that didn't.
30) Are you paranoid?
Nope
31) Do you burn or tan?
Burn baby, burn!!
32) What is the brand of your wallet?
My mommy gave it to me - it has a calculator that I LOVE!
33) first piercing/tattoo?
My ears pierced twice - I only wear it double on one ear.
34) First enemy?
Kerry Griffith
35) Last person you yelled at?
I yell alot
36) Last crush?
That would be my husband - before that John Strickland.
27) The last thing you ate?
Apple toast with butter and some OJ.

How time flies! I am amazed that it is already December and Christmas is right around the corner. Have I done any shopping or inquired into my kids minds about what they want Santa to bring them? No. Have I even figured out how I'm going to fit into this busy holiday season a trip to Florida to visit my dad? No. I don't even think it's dawned on me that this is my hubby's last month with Continental Express. Those dumby's will be sending him to training right before Christmas and all the way through the holidays. I can't even begin to tell you how annoying that is. Have I started thinking about how we are going to fit in all the family things we do for the holidays with him being gone? Nope. Wanna know the one thing I have done - I got the Christmas tree. And got it decorated, the inside of the house decorated and the outside of the house decorated. Hallelujah! I already feel like I'm behind the eight ball! It's only 6 days into the month, and that leaves me 19 shopping days, and I already feel like I need to rush around to get it all done. I wonder why??? Oh yes, now I remember, I lost one month dealing with my mom's newly diagnosed cancer. For those who don't know about that ordeal, visit my post from October. How long will it take me to catch back up with my life??

After surviving my near cheat with death, I had a great weekend. The SPA was fabulous and the eyebrow wax wasn't as bad as I thought! Actually, (actually), the waxing part was great compared to the PLUCKING part. Thanks for warning me about that part. But, my eyebrows look exquisite and I'll probably be going back or trying to venture out and do it myself. The facial part of my afternoon at the spa was the most relaxing thing I've done for myself in a long, long time. I could have fallen asleep on the table and found myself peeling my body off that table when it was time to leave. I think that too needs to be done more often - the facial that is. After I woke up a little bit and was able to drive, I took myself over to my favorite shopping spot, Beachwood Mall, and checked out their newest extravaganza, Legacy Village. This place is so upity (I don't even think that is a word), that the sidewalks are heated!! Most of the stores there I don't even recognize. There is one though that I did drive all the way out there for - Cheesecake Factory - yummmmmmmm!! It was great to eat by myself, watch people, read the menu from front cover to back -ask me anything about the menu and I could probably tell you. I felt totally spoiled as I not only had a waiter but a waiter in training!! I had too men serving me!! That's how it should be, right?? Don't worry Tom - no need to be jealous! After that, I hit the mall and stayed as long as I possibly could. It was great to just window shop and not have to listen to, "How many more stores till we can leave?" asked about 100 times! Then, off to Crocker Park, just to check it out. That is the West side of Cleveland's answer to Legacy Village. I'm glad I'm not paying that tax bill over there in Westlake! I was disappointed in the amount of stores that hadn't opened yet, so I just drove around. It was beautiful and everything was all lit up - including the Christmas tree ( a little to early for that?). My Sunday was spent just hanging out, answering long overdue emails, watching Lifetime chic flics and staying in my p.j.'s. I need these self indulgent weekends every once and a while. It's important to pamper me on occasion. I spend so much time and so much of me taking care of my husband and my kids, that sometimes I get lost in the shuffle. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and my family and being a stay at home mom. It is a dream come true. I saw at an early age what it feels like to have a mom be overworked and the kids have to pick up the rest of the slack. I never wanted that for my family or my kids. I'm glad to have a loving and supportive husband to help keep my on an even keel. I strongly believe that I can't be a great mom, wife or person without taking care of my needs first once and a while. So, kudos to my husband for giving me this great opportunity this weekend.

Yes, the time is correct. It is 2 a.m. Considering this is supposed to be the beginning of a great weekend of freedom from my kids, it's started off with a BANG! First off, it is REALLY foggy here and just plain creepy. I spent my first evening off doing what do you think . . . you guessed it, SHOPPING, SHOPPING, SHOPPING! I hit two malls and only looked at my watch once to help me figure out why I was so hungry. Oh, I know why, because it's 7 pm and I hadn't had dinner yet. I took care of that at my favorite chicken place, Chicken Fil A. That's what my neice calls it. I came home and had spent most of the evening eBaying, emailing, IMing and the like. I finally climbed in bed at 12:15 a.m. and hadn't been in bed for 15 minutes when I heard 2 loud bangs that shook my bedroom. Now, there are only 2 things that shake my bedroom and one of them I choose not to mention on my blog site. The second is when the back garage door slams - our room is above the garage and the door will only slam shut. And I mean it takes several throw your shoulder into it slams to get it closed. Anywho, freaked me out! My cats make noise at night but not like that. After I stopped shaking, I started peaking out all of our windows upstairs to see if I could see anything and then climbed back in bed. Not before long before my mind started rationalizing the fact that only that garage door opening or closing makes that kind of vibration. I called the police. I had to have SOMEONE check it out. Two big burly men showed up at my door and went into that scary garage for me. Thanks, guys! They said they would check my house all night for me! Bless the men in blue!

So, that's issue number 1. After those lifesavers left, there was NO way I was going to climb back in bed. So, I decided to park my rear in front of the computer and see what was up on eBay at this hour of the morning. I checked my email to see that my sister had sent me a hilarious one on eBay, I"m sure she'll be sharing that in her blog. I noticed that it was sent just a few minutes before I had received it and decided to see if she was awake by IMing (Instant Messaging) her. Yep, she was. To make a long story short, so was my dad. I had just found out that he just flew back to MD from FL today. He usually drives but decided because of his multiple cancer treatments that it wouldn't be wise to drive in that weakened state. So, I noticed that he too was signed in and decided to see what he was up to at 1 a.m. I was IMing him and Em at the same time and Em told me at the same time that dad asked to start having our converstaion on webcam (so I could see him for those who aren't computer savvy) that he had started losing his hair. Great. I have to tell you that for the first time since this started, I cried. I couldn't help it and I couldn't hold back. And I didn't stop myself. It was just to hard. To see the one man that as far as I was concerned, was invincible look worn like that. It shoots all those childhood fantasies. Your dad is your knight in shining armor, your pillar of strength. My dad can do anything - except beat this cancer. I CANNOT express in words right now how deep that cuts.

Thoughts from a Princess

A few days ago, Little Princess Olivia was complaining that her ear was bothering her. Not wanting to jump to conclusions, her mommy assumed that her Little Princess was being a Drama Queen and let the complaint go. The next day, the Princess went to ballet and had to sit down during her class because her ear hurt when she was practicing her jumps. This peaked her mother’s curiosity. Princess not wanting to do ballet?? There actually might be a problem, her mother thought. During the car ride to bring her little sister to gymnastics, the Princess started crying uncontrollably. Whatever could be the problem, her mother wondered. It was decided that the Princess better see the doctor, just in case.

That afternoon, after a dose of Tylenol, the Princess was feeling much better as they waited to see the doctor. When the doctor looked in the Princess’s ear, she exclaimed, “Oh my, Olivia, your ear is the color of an apple!”

To which the Little Princess replied, with a puzzled look upon her face, “A red one or a green one??”.

True story!

A picture of my kids!

It's Saturday and I was supposed to be in bed all day. My cats had other plans. Why is it that my cat thinks it's funny to jump on my head first thing in the morning? And how is it that they know that I'm awake?? Most of the time I don't move so they'll leave me alone. But, I open one eye and one of my furry friends is always there. If they're not in bed with me, they are curled up on the floor right next to the bed waiting for me to step on them. I NEVER get a minute alone - if it's not my kids, it's my cats!!! At least I know I'm loved, right??

It's already past noon and I've been planted in front of the computer since I got out of bed. I did take 20 minutes to enjoy a hot shower (without my cat sitting on the sink MEOWING at me). I keep telling myself that after the long week I've had that it's okay to just sit for hours and do nothing. I'm very much like my mom in that I can't just sit still and do nothing. I think I have ADD or something. I've started to think about what I'm going to do with my weekend off starting next Friday - number one is sleep in and number two is shop, shop, shop for me, me, me. You know, take the time to actually try something on in the dressing room without having to drag a stroller and two other complaining kids in there. Actually, my kids love to shop and do very well when mommy tries things on. They also very willingly give there opinion about what they like on me and what they don't . I guess that comes from training - they've been shopping with me and MADE to enjoy it since they were born. Some things they just don't have a choice in. Anyway, it will be much more peaceful in the dressing room without them. And the third thing I'm going to do is go get a pedicure and my eyebrows waxed. Liz says it doesn't hurt. I'm going to kill her if it does.

My stomach is asking for food and since it's 12:30 now, I better give in and go eat.

My nerves are shot and my patience has worn out. I have a sinus infection and it has hit me like a MAC truck. My immune system was already compromised before this infection from all the stress of the last few months - my father's new diagnosis, the revelation that my two girls had been passed on my husband's genetic cancer disorder and to top it all off my mother's newly diagnosed uterine cancer and immediate total hysterectomy. Is that enough? And I wonder why my body is responding with chills and total exhaustion on top of a headache that won't quit. Today was just awful. I feel like I"m in survival mode just trying to get through until Saturday. Thank God Tom is home in the mornings to get the kids breakfast and back in the early evenings to get them bathed and put to bed. I don't think I'd make it through otherwise. I have just two more days this week and then can take all day Saturday to catch up on some most needed sleep. Remember, Em, it's your day off - November 13 - you penciled that day in. And my day off - or should I say days - will be next Friday until Sunday. Tom is taking the kids to his mom's house and giving me a much needed break in my home. What will I do?? I have to carefully plan and just might do nothing. Hummmmm???????

I've spent all morning trying to get some things to work in my blog. I give up. But thanks to Em for all her help. I'll be breaking for a little while to check my ebay, take a nap and then roast a chicken for dinner - yummy! I want to add that "100 list about me" and haven't quite figured that out. The link goes to nothing right now so, that part is under construction.

I'm to wiped to concentrate anymore. I know that it's only 11 p.m EST but my bed and my furry little kitty kat are calling me. I actually pulled the comforter down a special way tonite so as to not disturb her already slumbering being. She's spoiled. It's okay though because this time she didn't move. Most of the time she scampers under the bed. Now, when I climb in bed, since she's on my side at the foot, I'll probably kick her off and the whole cause will be lost. Oh, well, at least I tried. For now, I leave my blog in the capable hands of my baby sister. Finish your TO DO list, Emmy!!

So, I'm new at this. Let's everyone calm down and give me a chance. It will be okay.

Boy, am I exhausted. Within 10 days my mom had a D&C, we found out she had uterine cancer and she had surgery a week later. And I wonder why my brain feels like mush. The surgery went well and the doctor was glad to tell us that nothing spread and the cancer was contained. Praise God - it's about time this thing turned positive. Between my sisters and I, we spent every waking moment with my mom while she was in the hospital. We never left her side. Not only did I not trust the hospital staff but my mom is hard of hearing and I didn't want her to miss anything from either the doctors, nurses or aides. I also wanted to be the one responsible for her care, for getting her out of bed, bringing her to the bathroom, making sure she had enough to drink, that she was comfortable, that she would have someone to lean on if she needed to walk around the unit. But most importantly, that I was there for her emotional support when the furry of this last week hit her upside the head. And that did come once she arrived home. I don't think any one of use really had time to deal with what just happened - especially the one that it happened to. Right now, I am drained on every possible level of existence - mentally, physically, psychologically, spiritually. There will be a time for me too to process what we have just been through.

Sometimes I wonder when I'm going to get a break. My life has been riddled with so many ups and downs - I'd like to get off this roller coaster now. Can I? When will I? I'm starting to think that it will be never. Our family got hit with another oncoming train these last few weeks. Even before I start to explain this, you must understand the background and other stressors. In September we were informed that my dad's cancer is back. We all knew it would never be cured but were hoping for the best and that got thrown back in our faces. To add insult to injury, we also found out on that same day that two of my three kids had been passed a genetic cancer disorder from their fathers side of the family. And you wonder why I'm so pessimistic. So, back to the present. I'm was going to my mom's (in Springfield, VA) for a family gathering to celebrate my daughter and my niece's 5th birthdays. togethers since they turned one. This was over a weekend and I had planned to leave that Sunday. My mom was to have a routine D & C to observe some fibroids that Monday to which my sister was going to take her. Because of a mix up in scheduling, I ended up taking her that Monday while my sister stayed home and schooled the kids. Good thing I was the one that took her. The procedure lasted the expected time and the doctor came out to talk to me after it was done. I could tell this wasn't going to be good. All I remember hearing were the words "polyps" and "very thick tissue". From my experience from my husbands genetic disorder, I knew what polyps most likely meant - cancer. And the "very thick tissue" made that even worse. So, me being the most medically inclined asked all the appropriate questions and was left with the task of informing and explaining to my mom this new predicament. Thank God I was the one here and not my not-so-medically-inclined sister. We were all pretty calm that day not wanting to jump to conclusions and just leaning on the side of optimism. I don't know why I bothered because it never works. By Tuesday afternoon, we had found out that in fact it was cancerous and to top it off, very fast growing. Great. That day just sucked. I couldn't even cry. I went into problem solving mode and trying to shelter my mom from this pain and uncertainty she was feeling mode. Long learned habit. Within minutes of finding out the diagnosis, I was on the phone with the cancer specialists making appointments as soon as I could. My next phone calls were made to put my life on hold while I tried to clean up this mess. We met with a gynecological cancer specialist the next day, who reviewed my mom's case and pushed for surgery ASAP rather than putting it off until he could find an earlier opening in his schedule (November) - my mom wanted it early in the morning so she wouldn't have to stay on no food diet as long. Turns out that we pushed to get it done ASAP also and who cared how long she had to be on a no food diet. Getting this stuff out of her became #1.