Raising Hesketts

Coco Key ~ Fitchburg

2010-01-18T09:43:00.000-08:00

We took the girls down to Coco Key in Fitchburg. We had been to the one in Danvers once before and had a good time so we thought we would check this one out. It was considerably smaller ~ but at the same time was plenty big enouch for my little kiddos.

It took us just about two hours to get there from home. I bought our tickets online and used a discount code of massvalue to get $10.00 off per ticket. Since I bought 1/2 day tickets that were $20.00 that means it only cost us $10/PP to get in. What a deal! Dan always wants to go but I think it is too expensive. This though I could definately get on board with.

When you go Coco Key you now need to bring your own towels they no longer provide them. You can not bring in outside food or drink and are at the high price mercy of the A&W and Pizza Hut there.

Working Mom to Stay at Home Mom

2010-01-18T08:12:00.000-08:00

I have recently found out I will be a SAHM for the time being at least. I am not 100% sure how I feel about it ~ but I am 99% sure I am excited. Mimi and ZZ are excited for sure.

I think in the long run they will miss the wonderful school that has been a part of their lives for almost two years. I am hoping to plan lots of fun activities for them so maybe they won't notice so much.

Now I am thinking of things like: What will I make them for lunch everyday? At what time do I force them out of their PJ's when we are staying home? Will we spend more money being home all the time? Will they appreciate me less because they see me so much? There is so much to consider.

We are taking the first few weeks of my newly found unemployment and heading down to Florida to visit with my dad and hopefully my brother and his family. We will spend a few days at Disney World (just me and the two girls ~ YIKES!). We are hoping when we get back to Maine in late February that the weather will cooperate some for us to get out and about!

I hope to have more time to keep up with my blog and think I will have some fun things to post about along with lots of pictures!

And the Lasagna Stoup?....

2009-08-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

Gets good marks for making the family happy. Not so good on the 30 minutes. Unless some has a way to make soup boil faster? It was about 45 minutes from start to finish.

The finished product was fantastic and Mena even licked her plate!

This recipe definately makes it into our rotation! It will be especially good on a fall evening. It also falls in to the extremely affordable category!

Lasagna Stoup

2009-08-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

Tonight for our 30 minute meal it will be another Rachel Ray. Lasagna Stoup. Sounds good and I think everyone will like it too. Another bonus is I have everything I need right here in my kitchen.

Check out the recipe here: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/Lasagna-Stoup

And come back later to find out how close to 30 minutes the meal actually takes to make!

Rachel Ray 30 Minute Meal #1

2009-08-12T16:14:00.000-07:00

So I must admit I cheated a little tiny bit. I shucked my corn at the grocery store. That isn't cheating is it? So here is the cost break down:

Chili Powder ~ 2.39
Pure Veg Oil ~ 2.59
Kates Buttermilk ~ 1.89
Smoked Paprika ~ 6.67
Garlic Powder ~ 1.99
Onion Powder ~ 1.99
Boneless Chix ~ 6.19
2 Limes ~ .67
Cantaloupe ~ .99
Local Corn ~ 1.58

Total cost of meal: $26.93

Now keep in mind ~ if my kitchen were better stocked this would be cheaper. A LOT cheaper ~ like under $10.

So I got home and immediately put the oil on to start getting hot and the water to boil. I followed the recipe to a T. I began cooking at 5:57 and by 6:30 we were all seated at the table with our meals in front of us. I may have cheated by shucking the corn first... but I did also through in a melon for me and the girls to have with our dinner (Dan doesn't like it) and I got that diced in the 30 minutes too.

Everyone liked the meal and would like it to be added to the dinner rotation. It was easy, fast, cheap and yummy too.

Now for the bad news... no picture tonight. I swear I will bring my camera in and take some pictures next time!

Julie and Julia

2009-08-12T08:23:00.001-07:00

Mom, Laurie and I went to see this last night and I am feeling inspired! The current plan is 5 30-Minute Rachel Ray Meals. What I would like to do is give you all and idea of how long (and how much) the shopping takes, the prep time takes and how long the actual meal takes to make (is it really 30 minutes?). I want to do this because I am a busy working mom with two little ones who are HUNGRY when I get home. So if I can find a nice array of meals that everyone enjoys that really, honestly do take 30 minutes ~ I will be one happy mama!

What you can look for is:
Shopping Expense
Shopping Time
Prep Time (prior to the meal)
Actual Meal Prep time
A Picture of the Meal
Like or Don't Like from each family member

Tonights meal will be Tex Mex Buttermilk Chicken Tenders and Corn on the Cob

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/rachael-ray-30-minute-meals/Tex-Mex-Buttermilk-Chicken-Tenders-and-Corn-on-the-Cob

New Diet Day 3

2009-07-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

So far so good. Day 3 and I haven't cheated not even once. I am looking forward to weighing myself on Monday and hope to have shed at least a few pounds.

Still staying strong with two cups of coffee a day and enough water to float a boat! I am feeling less hungry each day. I figure after a couple of weeks I can plan a menu for myself and get off the boxed dinners ~ but for now it is really helping me with portion control and making sure I don't eat too much.

I am also heading my Dr's advice of "If it's white, don't bite" ~ so no sugar, bread, pasta...etc. Unless of course it is in my WW portion controlled meal!

Check back on Monday for my weight loss so far!

New Diet Day 2

2009-07-22T08:57:00.000-07:00

Okay here we are day 2 and I have done well so far. I am feeling proud of myself. Here is yesterday's "menu".

Breakfast ~ WW Breakfast Sandwich less the egg ~ 3 pts
~ Coffe ~ 2 points

Lunch ~ WW Lasagna ~ 6 points
~ Yogurt ~ 2 points
~ coffee ~ 2 points

Dinner ~ WW Turkey with Cranberries ~ 4 points
~ WW Mint Ice Cream Snack ~ 2 points

Total points for the day ~ 21.

Oh ~ and I definately drank all my water! Yeah!

I did feel hungry most of the day ~ but already today the hunger seems to be subsiding some. I know I need to learn to eat regular meals in the right amounts ~ but for the first week or so I am shooting for WW meals while I get the hunger factor under control.

Wish me luck in meeting my goal before the end of September!

I will update on what I lost so far next Monday.

A Visit with my Doctor

2009-07-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

How much more depressing can a doctor's visit be? I had to have a shot AND he wants me to lose weight since my good cholesterol is too low (well normal but lower than HE would like to see it).

So as I start my week it is on a diet. I need to lose some weight and start getting more exercise. My goal? To lose 80lbs all together. My first goal (hopefully attainable) is 22lbs.

I am going to start off with eating WW prepared meals only for a week. I am hoping this will help get my portion sizing in the right area ~ and after a week to feel less hungry after eating a normal human style portion of lunch or dinner. I have also been instructed to cut back on the coffee and drink more water. So I am down to two cups of coffee a day and adding a lot more water.

Add to this that I have a torn tendon in my right foot (no wonder it has hurt so much) that I tore several months ago. Fun times... off to see the Podiatrist.

Progress so far? 0lbs lost of course... today is day 1!

TotSpot

2009-05-06T06:47:00.001-07:00

I found this great site for keeping track of all the kiddos. I like the way each child shows as a tab on the account ~ certainly makes it nice if you have more than one child to access their "page" more easily!

Visit TotSpot

Painting.... Finger and otherwise

2008-09-14T05:21:00.001-07:00

As I write this Mimi is sitting at the table next to me finger painting her little heart out. Letting her finger paint is a huge step for me as I don't usually like activites that help her get dirty. Whoever invented finger paint obviously didn't see eye to eye with me on this issue. Our blue tube of paint is missing from the art supply bucket which is odd. Mimi thinks "Somebody tooked it". I think the somebody was probably Mimi.

We are almost done priming the upstairs and one wall in MiMi's room has been painted. I decided to do the bulk of it in Sleeping Beauty Pink and will give in to MiMi's wish of Mickey Pant Red on the eaves of the room. It won't be long now. The painted should be done by the end of next weekend and then we will make a trip to Ikea and have the carpet done. I am hoping the girls will be in their new bedrooms by Mid October. A VERY far cry from the January 08 date I was given in the beginning.

Today MiMi and I will be making some chicken and rice soup for lunch and then a Pork Roast for later tonight. Funny today is soup weather ~ raining and 50's tomorrow will be 85! Such is life in New England in the Fall!

Fall Weekends in New England

2008-09-13T05:19:00.000-07:00

If you have never been here I can't begin to describe the actual feeling that us New Englanders know in our bones. The weather is crisp in the morning ~ crisp enough that you want to put the heat on in the house, but alas we hold out. We throw on our sweatshirts and socks for the first time in months and weather through the early morning chill, knowing full well that it will be 75 by noon time.

We start to notice that the trees are no longer that crisp green color and realize they soon will be a wonderous rainbow of colors. We think of many things during this season and look forward to them all. Fall in New England means: Football, apple picking, pumpkin picking, hay rides, simmering soup and the smell of new pencils.

This is honestly my favorite time of year. We enjoy it to the maximum and I hope to make sure that my children wind up with that same sadden excitement about fall. It is hard to let our short summer go and it is sad to think of what is to come after our fall season ~ but oh so worth it to enjoy this beautiful, magnificent experience we call Fall.

I will share pictures of our Fall outings this year as well as my favorite soup recipes as I simmer them all day long.

Why Bank of America Sucks!

2008-09-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

We have had four major issues with Bank of America this year which have resulted in them charging us fees they refuse to reverse. I am sure we are not the only ones that encounter this kind of bullshit.

1. They double posted an entire day worth of transactions including CHECKS that showed the same image online with the same check number and everything. They proceeded to take several days to correct charging us overdraft fees daily in the amoubt of 175$ per day. They also returned the DUPLICATED checks saying NSF ~ this generated fees from the people those checks were written to.

2 & 3. Money transfered from savings to checking comes out of savings and NEVER appears in checking. I think this is a technique they use if it looks like your transfer is to cover a check you are writing then oops you go negative again because they "lost" your transfer. The latest case of this happening was Tuesday Sept 2nd generating 175$ in fees. They called and said it was fixed.... but lo and behold it is not. Now we are out the 175$ PLUS the money that is "missing" in account transfer.

4. They mysteriously 'unlinked' our accounts making it so we didn't meet the minimum requirements on our checking account for free checking and began charging us a maintenance fee ~ which they got three out of me before I noticed it and they refused to reverse the first two since they were so old.

Needless to say we are closing our accounts with Bank of America and encourage you to pay VERY close attention to your transactions with this Bank.

Good luck to any Bank of America customers.

Long time no blog.

2008-09-08T18:02:00.000-07:00

It has been a while. Things are starting to settle down at the Heskett household. Zoe has been weaned from the bottle and is sleeping through the night and both girls are settled in at the new school. Turns out that it was the right move for both girls. I was concerned about Zoe but she is blossoming and doing awesome!

The first week the were at the new school I was informed when I picked up Mena that we would be taking Peanut home for the weekend. My mind flashed to the three hampsters and two rabbits currently caged in her classroom and I was panicked. I could barely take care of myself, two small children and a husband ~ a small furry creature had no chance of surviving the weekend at my house. My face must have shown my utter panick since the teacher said, "Oh, don't worry Peanut is the class stuffed animal." Okay I can handle that.

But could I? Then I started having mini panic attacks about losing Peanut the class stuffed animal after only one week at the new school and how I would find a replacement Peanut. I was tempted to leave the stuffed bear in the car all week as a protection program. Alas, Mena and Zoe were both totally enamoured with him and we ended up dragging him around all weekend. I began to relax about him a little on Sunday afternoon.

Dan takes Mena and Peanut to Home Depot Sunday afternoon and comes home with this story:

Mena needed to go potty and Dan didn't want to bring Peanut in the boys potty at Home Depot (I guess they aren't the best) so he sets Peanut on a bench close to the potty. Well when they came out... lo and behold Peanut was gone.

So Mena starts to scream "Help! Help! Help!" about 10 Home Depot came over and Mena says "Someone took Peanut!" Dan is like... "Don't worry Peanut is a stuffed animal" because they were about to go on an "Amber" lockdown. So they paged down to the service desk and Peanut was there. Dan and Mena got there and Mena told the lady that she "Wasn't very nice for taking Peanut" and threw back the stickers that they lady was trying to give her.

2.2 More Lbs Gone!

2008-07-25T05:26:00.000-07:00

So YEAH! I lost another 2.2lbs ~ which means that I am almost 1/2 way to my weight loss goal in just two weeks with five more weeks to go! At this rate I may have to change my goal before Labor Day!

I am so excited that I am already counting weeks and deciding what my birthday goal should be... then what my Christmas goal should be!

Ah the wonders of water!

2.4 lbs GONE!

2008-07-23T15:07:00.001-07:00

Well even without a whole lot of effort and just being mindful of what I am eating and making sure I get my water in I have lost 2.4lbs! So I have just 7.6 more lbs to go to make my labor day goal!

Of course it has rained practically every day here since I decided to start losing some weight. Hopefully the weather will improve and I get myself out and walking!

I am excited now to make my goal so that I can set my next one!

Disney's Concourse Steakhouse

2008-07-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

Located in the Contemporary this was our first dining experience of our last time. It was a noon time reservation for which we actually arrived on time for. We were seated immediately and ordered our drinks. Dan ordered Onion Rings as an appetizer and I ordered the french onion soup, Miss Mena, of course had to order soup ~ chicken noodle. Our apps came quickly and we ordered our meals. I had the New York Strip and Dan had the Angus Chuck Blue Cheeseburger, Mena ordered Pizza with mozzarella and diced chicken. Our meals came and mine was the wrong meal. This was fixed quickly ~ but when traveling with a 2 1/2 year old and a 10 month old ~ there is NO ROOM for a mistake like this!

Once my meal was corrected our meals were WONDERFUL! The girls were getting a little cranky but having dessert on the way is a big help! Dan and I both had the Triple Chocolate Cake and Mena enjoyed a nice little ice cream cup that was definately more of a sundae than a cup as it came with hot fudge and sprinkles to add to it.

All in all it was a great meal. We would definately go back again on our next trip.

As a note ~ we bought Mena a dining pass so we wouldn't have to pay at each meal. Well when this was rung through they did not charge us for Mena's meal at all ~ as cash or as a credit. We did point it out to the server and she said ~ "That's how it rang out" and assured us not to worry about it. First day and we are already up a meal on Mena's dining.

Living Childless

2008-07-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

So in theory I have no business writing a blog entitled "Living Childless" since I do not live childless. But I did live childless, for MANY years. I realize it is not the same as what I am about to discuss as I wasn't 100% sure I would never become pregnant.

So you find yourself at the end of a long road of trying to get pregnant that involves not just you and your special someone (sure it started out that way) but instead involves doctors and labs and procedures and all the things that IUI and IVF involve. At the end of this road at some point you accept your life as a childless individual or couple. Now what?

I have been thinking a lot about these women/men/couples who somehow are childless not by choice. As a mother of two children ages 3 and 1 my first thought is "Think of the freedom you have" my next thought is I wouldn't trade my children for any amount of freedom or money. Money ~ yes children are expensive little buggers. So anyway ~ I the emotion I feel isn't pity for the childless but a sadness for them that makes me want to just hug them and let them know I understand their pain.

As a single person I always despised the "Well you don't have any kids" excuses people would give. On Christmas eve while at work they would let all the people with children go home early or if someone needed to work late it would always be the single or childless people. Well I totally get why these things happen ~ it makes sense but it would still bother me anyway. It was like saying "You have no children therefore you have no responsibilities to take care of".

I realized that I would always be the childless single person at work, in my group of friends, etc. I convinced myself and everyone around that I didn't want children "they were nice but not for me".

So what happens at the end of the infertility road when you get there and still have empty arms? Do you travel more? Get another pet? Become the best aunt or uncle you can? I don't have any advice only questions ~ but I just wanted to let the childless couples out there know they aren't alone ~ and that at least some of us fertiles DO understand your pain.

Sunday Night Already?

2008-07-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend we had! I am so sad that it is over! Yesterday we planned to go to the beach and then to the Buxton Community Days to catch Rick Charette and the Bubble Gum Band. The weather was not really beach~y so we headed out to visit with my mom and an aunt and uncle who were visiting her. Of course both the girls fell asleep in the car and instantly woke up when we got to moms house. Nap time OVER ~ only about 15 minutes! Neither one of them napped at home either.

So at about 2:00 we got ready to head out the Buxton Community Days. When we got there Mena spotted the rides right off and wiped out the three dollars she was carrying (side note: for her birthday one of her little friends gave her three one dollar bills and she wanted to bring them to the fair) and wants to buy tickets. Dan buys her some tickets and she runs for the bounce house. She got to bounce for all of about two minutes and then had to get out.

Next she wanted to ride this glider thing.

Zoe was so stinking jealous she was standing at that gate rattling it so hard!

Once that was done Mena headed straight for the swings. Well she was too little! We went to the next ride and I had to ride with her... I wasn't thrilled but she was so excited! I was glad I did ride with her though.

We then headed over to listen to Rick Charette and the Bubble Gum Band Mena made it through about four songs and then wanted to go home. It was so hot and felt like it was going to rain so I relented and we headed home. They of course both fell asleep in the car again.

Today was Open Farm Day in Maine so we hit up two farms. One was a small farm close enough to my mom's house so that we could walk. The other was much larger ~ Harris Farm . Here we took a little hay ride out to a buffet. It started raining while we were there and Mena spazzed out.

All and all it was a great weekend!

Some of My Frugal Ways

2008-07-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

So lately we have been on a let's be frugal kick. With the price of gas and the girls new school we have to cut back somewhere. So mainly we have to cut back on our entertainment and shopping. That includes grocery shopping. So I am a mega coupon clipper and have even started printing as many of the coupons from online as I can so I don't have to buy the weekly paper ~ that save me money too.

I generally redeem about $25.00 worth of coupons per week on things we would buy. I wait until they are on a good sale and couple my coupons with them and buy as much as I can of things we use weekly. I now have a year supply of bbq sauce, pasta, sauce, salsa, lemonade, oatmeal etc. but make sure it is stuff we would buy anyway. I try not to buy stuff just because it is cheap if I wouldn't have bought it anyway.

I also started doing programs for points and redeem them for magazines and gift cards and the like. So since Dan is a coke fiend (yeah I wish I could eliminate that expense) it is his only vice so I don't push the envelope on this issue ~ I like to do the MyCokeRewards thing and redeem points for magazines. I love magazines but won't pay for those either. The other two I do a lot of is MyPoints and ZoomPanel. I like ZoomPanel because I sometimes get items to product test (free stuff WOOHOO) and then also get redeemable points for doing the survey as well.

I have canceled our blockbuster subscription and we can rent a movie on demand or through the AppleTV. Since we weren't so good at sending our movies back and it was up over $18/month it was a waste. Now I can get a movie every weekend for 3.99 and it is still less a month (especially since we don't do it every weekend). We are considering getting rid of cable soon too in light of using more AppleTV for shows we love.

Dan recently got a work cell phone which leaves me without a plan. So I am going to have my mother add me to her plan for 9.95/mo ~ that saves 40/mo.

When we built the new house I used all energy efficient light bulbs. It was expensive to do ~ but we have twice the living space and our electric bill has actually gone down about 10/mo ~ not much but I was expecting it would go up.

I now also put more thought into where I go and how much gas I am using. We used to drive to Portland on a whim without thought ~ now I only go if it is for work or I can couple some things together. There really are a lot of ways to cut back without really giving anything up.

I am sure there are 100 other ways I haven't thought about.

Day 1 Weight Loss

2008-07-18T04:32:00.000-07:00

Okay I am starting out with small goals. Today it is to drink my eight glasses of water. I read someplace that having two glasses of water in the morning before you eat or drink anything else gets you on the right path for the day. There are a few things that make weight loss hard for me ~ but water consumption is NOT one of them.

One that is hard fro me is the fact that healthy food is so expensive! I am going to start out by trying to limit the eating out. I am hoping that if I eat at home or bring something I made at home will help me to eat less and eat less fatty fast food. I don't mean fast food McDonalds kind of food because I rarely do that ~ but any eating out is fast for me.

I also need to trim out my nightly ice cream after the girls are in bed and maybe replace it with a walk. Even if I can only get out for 15 or 20 minutes that is better than nothing.

So I have a doctors appointment in a couple weeks too and at my last appointment my BP was high too.... so I have to work on getting that down. Fun stuff.

My Journey to 10lbs lighter

2008-07-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

Okay ~ so I have been trying to lose weight since Zoe was born and all I have done is gain. So here I am again ~ recommiting to losing just 10lbs. I think if I can lose 10 I will get some motivation to do more. I always think it will be easier in the summer because I can get outside and walk.... well guess what? It is too hot to walk in the summer.

So with the girls starting full time school in a few weeks and me having two whole days a week with no work and no kids I figure I will have time to focus on some exercise and meal planning.

So my goal is 10lbs by labor day. Should be easy enough right? Haha! We shall see!

Oh how life has changed!

2008-07-13T04:52:00.000-07:00

I spent the past couple of weeks planning this great party for Mena and the highlight of my week was seeing her wake up this morning to the decorations. If anyone would have told me this would be my life even five years ago I would have told them they were crazy and gone on with my day!

So while we were in Disney last we went to a luau ~ Mena loved it so much that we themed her birthday hawaiian. I was honestly surprised how easy it was to find everything. I am in shock that she is old enough to have school friends coming this year.

Three years ago today I was finding out that in just TWO days I would be able to hold my baby ~ now in the blink of an eye she is starting out on her fourth year of life. I never believed my parents when they told me life goes by too fast and to stop wishing it away and enjoy every minute. Well now I know ~ now I get it. I can only hope that Mena will enjoy every minute of every day. She is off to a good start.

Aside from being crazy busy ~ everything has been going very well for us. We are blessed with two healthy kids who are growing, learning and thriving.

On the house front... well we are getting close. I think by the end of the summer each of the girls will be happily sleeping in their own beds! Here are some progress pictures:

Zoe's Room

Mena's Room:

The Playroom:

And a few pictures of the girls:
Zoe in a cloth diaper

Mena having some watermelon on the fourth

Zoe chilling out on the Fourth

Big Changes

2008-07-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

We have some big changes coming up! Mena and Zoe will be starting at a new school on August 15th. Wow it will be a big change for all of us. It will be full time ~ well the full time option is there for us ~ I am still undecided as to if they will go all five days or not.

While it will be a little hard on us to pay the extra money ~ I think they will both benefit from it. The school is a Montessori School which has been something Dan and I have been looking for for Mena. I am really hoping it will be a good fit for Zoe too... but I don't know her well enough to know yet (sad huh?).

We have been all over the map with what is 'wrong' with things lately. We know we want to simplify our lives ~ but we weren't sure what was going to entail. I was excited to get an email back from my inquiry of the school. We looked at moving Mena sometime in the fall ~ but at the time she LOVED her teacher and we thought her and Miss Fran had such a good connection that we didn't want to move her. Then her teacher mysteriously disappeared.

I recently found out that her teacher moved to the school we thought about switching her to. WOW ~ we were so excited. Dan and I went to look last night and decided that yes ~ we loved the school. I brought Mena in to see it today and she was SO excited to find the bunny rabbits at the back of the classroom. They start on August 15th.

Simplify my life

2008-06-23T09:28:00.000-07:00

Where to start? Let me first start off by saying I am not just talking about eliminating physical stuff. While that is certainly a starting point for me ~ there is a whole lot more to what I am yearning to do.

Lately I have felt as though I am not getting the quality of life that I want. We have everything we need or want for material items ~ but I am having major issues with my levels of stress and frustration. I am desperate to find a balance in my life that allows me to maintain my home and spend the quality time with my family I want to.

I WANT to be able to push Mena and Zoe on the swings until they don't want to be pushed anymore without thinking all the while about the stuff I SHOULD be doing. I want to be able to take Mena on the walk she wants to go on ~ the walk that pauses at every rustle of a leave or spotting of a bug ~ the walk that allows you to stop and examine each pebble you see ~ I want to do this without having to think about hurrying up to get home and finish something I have left undone.

I WANT to spend the time with my girls that will make them WANT to respect me and spend time with me. I want them to look back on childhood and remember all the fun things we did AS a family.

I realize for all this to happen effectively and easily I need to eliminate stress and frustration from our lives. I know EXACTLY what I want to do an what I NEED to do.... where I suffer is the HOW.

How do I eliminate frustration?
How do I eliminate stress?
How do I free up enough time to not care how long something takes?

I know for us we are not in the market to move from our home, so selling it all and moving to a remote cabin in the woods is not on the agenda.

I guess this is just a start for me. It may take some time to figure out ~ but in the long run I think we will all be happier because of it.

Just a quick note

2008-06-16T08:14:00.001-07:00

Well things in the Heskett house are pretty near crazy lately. Mena is now only going to preschool three days a week and will be starting a Gymnastics Preschool program on Thursdays. She is super excited to be involved in something new. She had her first gymnastics "meet" on Saturday ~ it was so stinking cute! She got up on the stand and accepted her medal and threw her arms up in the air while everyone clapped.

On Saturday she told Dan that we was going to work. She gathered up her baby and the baby's bottle and headed out to the van where she strapped baby into one of the carseats, climbed in the driver's seat and put her seatbelt on. She said she was going to drop baby off at school, get herself a cup of coffee and then head to work. Once she was done 'pretending' to drive she opened the door and hollered out for the keys. She is just adorable (well to us anyway!)

Yesterday was raining and kind of yuck here ~ so we pretty much lazed around the house all day doing laundry.

And Miss Zoe.... where to start with her! So much has changed since I last blogged. She is walking and trying to talk. She has 12 teeth and has moved from formual to milk (well okay ~ lactaid) and will soon be weaned off the bottle completely. I just can't believe how fast time goes by!

House progress seems to be at a standstill. We were told in March it would be three more weeks. Well here we are 12 weeks later and the inside is JUST now getting underway. It is going so slow and I think our contractor is working on other jobs just about every other day. I guess we deserve it for paying in full before the job was done.

We are really enjoying the summer and time spent with the girls..... I feel like I should knock on wood before saying this BUT Life is good right now!

Living in TotLand

2007-12-21T13:48:00.000-08:00

What can I say about Mena? She is the cutest, funniest, smartest, most loving little girl I know! She is also the meanest, moodiest, ornary little girl I know. I can't believe how the moods of a child can change so fast. One second she is screaming for her Memere ~ the next minute she is cuddling lovingly with me and asking to have more nap time.

Her favorite Christmas special so far is the new Shrek the Halls. There is not even a close second. She loves it and would watch it in endless loop if I would let her. We watch most of her shows on our AppleTV since I don't really care for her watching commercials ~ but this particular special I can't get on iTunes ~ so I have it DVR'd with commercials. She HATES them and says "Where's my SHREK" during the commercials until I fast forward through them. A big reason why I don't let her watch it more than a couple times a day.

Her perception of Christmas this year amazes me and I think next year she will be able to grasp the real meaning of Christmas. Right now she knows that Santa is coming, that the tree in the house is for Christmas and that there is a big party coming up. I am shocked what her little mind absorbs!

We are in the process of setting up a Montessori room in the house for her and out of desperation this week I allowed her to have her sandpaper letters (which were for Christmas) so she LOVES THEM! She will go get them and bring them to me, no small task since they are pretty heavy, and ask to do ABC's. Her little fingers trace the letters over and over again ~ like she understands there is a point to learning them. She then looks at me to tell her what the letter is and what it sounds like, and repeats them again and again. I am starting to think we wait too long to teach the children to read in this country. She is two and a half (actually not quite) and is beyond interested in learning right now.

Getting Teeth ~ and Bringing Merry Christmas Back!

2007-12-13T05:38:00.000-08:00

Well Zoe finally pushed a tooth through and the second on followed quickly! So she has her two front bottom teeth. Well the ridges are through anyway! This is about the only new thing at our house ~ we are still up all night dealing with a crying, screaming, awake baby.

So I have been thinkng lately that I don't like it when someone says Happy Holidays to me. When did we become a society of sell outs? Okay so you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or some other holiday I can't think of right now.... so when you see me or talk to me I would rather hear "Have a Happy Hanukkah!" reinforcing what you believe instead of "Happy Holidays" which negates both our beliefs. Yes I am Christian and believe in Christ and Christmas, but someone expressing what they believe doesn't make me angry or upset. I feel like "Happy Holidays" makes us all sell outs to what this time of year has slowly become ~ a time for stores to make money.

Join me and shop at stores who loudly and proudly announce what they are celebrating. Or at least call the items what they are ~ A Christmas tree is a Christmas Tree not a Holiday Tree.

Here is a Naughty and Nice List of Stores!

http://www.lc.org/media/9980/attachments/2007_Naughty-Nice.pdf

I love you

2007-11-27T16:36:00.000-08:00

Riding in the car with Mena and Zoe after picking them up after school I was chatting with Mena like I normally do. I told her I loved her and she said it back! She said "I love you mama!" Ahhhh it felt so good to hear her little voice say those words!! :)

Been a while

2007-11-02T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a while since I have blogged. Not thinking much of it since I am pretty sure I am the only one who reads it ~ but hey ~ I am important too!

So things are crazy around here. The Little Miss Zoe has decided that sleep is not a necessity for her to live.... oh and eating really isn't either. So she eats little and sleeps less. Most nights Dan stays up with her from about 1AM on... while I get some sleep. We are all walking around like zombies.

Of course I blame it on the fact that she sleeps in our room still. Yes ~ you guessed it ~ the house is STILL under contruction. But such is life for us these days. We are so ready to be done with this and go on with our lives.

I still find things everyday that I need. I need everything for Christmas, all new ornaments and decorations.... ugh what a chore that will be.

Off to try and get some sleep before little Miss Not Sleeping beauty wakes up!

Having a Home again!

2007-08-04T06:50:00.000-07:00

Well we are finally at a point where I am willing to call this place home. We have hot water, electricity and all the basic necessities! Finally ~ we will be able to have Mena's birthday party and I can actually make purchases without thinking "How much of a pain will that be to move?" So woot!!

I finally figure out that Zoe is allergic to formula and switched her to the uber expensive hyperallergenic formula ~ but she hasn't been sick since I switched her and she has started to sleep some!! Finally! She would just futz around all night before, obviously uncomfortable. Since the switch two days ago she now will sleep six hours at a time and can make a twelve hour stretch at night with just ONE feeding!

Mena is doing great and loves going to school! We have had some fun times this week though with her new water table and her new craft box. She really is starting to be a big girl. Bedtimes are getting increasing harder. I think she has realized that life doesn't stop after she goes to bed so that makes it hard.

On the whole though life is starting to look up for us a lot! We are settled and the girls are getting settled!

Customer Service

2007-07-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

When did customer service go to pot? I am curious when it became okay to say let me check into that and call you back only to then let 10 days go by without calling back. Not that people haven't always done that ~ I am sure they have ~ but when did we as a society decide that it was OKAY to let people treat us that way?

Also when did it become okay to demand money for an incomplete project? Do you go to the bakery and pay the baker in advance to bake your bread and then hope and pray he does? So why is it okay for a contractor to pull his people off an OBVIOUSLY incomplete job until payment is rendered in full? And how long is one expected to be punished for not having the money at the given moment? How long is okay? A week? A month? A Year? How long before you screw this and hire someone else to do the job?

As one can probably tell I am FED up with people NOT doing their job. If I told one of my customers that I would look into something and DIDN'T call back for days and days I wouldn't have a job. Is it SO hard to call and say still working on it, keep you updated with my progress. Does that TWO SECOND phone call really just push your busy day too far over the edge? Or a call that says I got stuck at another job site but will come by tomorrow to do what you waited ALL DAY for me to show up and do today.... how about that?

Another Day In the Life...

2007-07-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

that I call mine. So just having a normal everyday kinda day. Minding my own business, taking some pictures of little Zo~Zo and bam. Someone posts a link to a blog on my site. So I of course have to go read it and it is this feminist twit who more or less says that birthing a child should be no different than adopting one.

Now I am ALL for adoption and Dan and I have even discussed adopting a child, so don't think I feel like people shouldn't adopt. But if a couple wants to explore every option available to have a child of their own I think that is their own prerogative.

Is it really selfish to want a child of your own? I don't think that most people have children in order to create a mini-me. They have children to create a family from a love that is so deep there is no other way to express it to the world. Well, okay, maybe that isn't the reason EVERYONE has children ~ But I know it is why we did. The whole process of being pregnant is where the bond is created. Women who have not been pregnant don't know what it is and how it feels, so they shouldn't judge.

So let's be real about the pressures of society! The pressures are put on women to "do something with their lives" ~ any SAHM will tell you she has heard at least once "oh you're just a stay at home mom, must be nice." Well hey, guess what?! It is nice ~ but not for the reason you think. Being a SAHM isn't all soaps and bon~bons. It is nice for the reason that you can continue to grow the bond you created with your child without the outside distractions of work.

How many times has a conversation between strangers started with "so what do you do for work?" I get so worked up about feminists that think they are making the world a better place by getting women to be able to do all the things men do. If they would stop trying to force what they see as 'equality' then more moms would be able to stay home and tend their children if they choose. Let's face it women have always worked, there was always a place for a woman who needed or wanted to work. Now thanks to the movement we pretty much all have to work to make ends meet.

I am totally off on a tangent now but she got me pretty upset... ignorant twit!

Does it really start this young?

2007-07-25T17:48:00.001-07:00

So Dan wakes me up this morning to see if I want to ride over to Dunkies to get a coffee and a munchkin for our munchkin. I say sure and stretch myself out and climb outta bed. I do my normal morning things, comb my hair, put my contacts in etc. We get in the car and head out to the bank for money and then Dunkies for coffee. All is good so far. We start to head home so Dan can get ready for work and I can get my day started with the two girls. Well Mena starts pointing and saying "that way!" like Dan doesn't know where he is going. When we get home she starts screaming "no home, no home, school, school, school!" She is two! She doesn't want to stay home with me! I realize that she was trying to point Dan in the direction of school while he was driving home.

Damn... two years and she would already rather be with her 'friends' than me? :( So I called the 'school' and made arrangements for her to go four days a week starting tomorrow. I know she likes it and she learns a lot but it hurts my feelings. Is it my own fault for making such a big deal out of going to school everyday so she would like it? She learns a lot, she plays hard and she sleeps well.... I guess I shouldn't complain.

Introduction Part3

2007-07-23T06:56:00.000-07:00

Okay ~ hang up and try to call Dan ~ straight to voicemail. Hang up try to call Dan at work ~ voicemail. Hang up call Dan at work and have the receptionist transfer me to ANYONE in his department who is there at their desk ~ stinking voicemail. Hang up call my mom ~ have her continue to call Dan as I am hysterical and on the highway going at least 75mph to get home. I get to the house and the fire chief sits me in his car. My mom finally calls and says she reached Dan and he is on his way.... OMG... I have never been so relieved ~ he wasn't home.

I go to Target with my mom ~ because what else do you do when your house is burning down before your eyes and you have an 18 month old? Well if you are me ~ you IMMEDIATELY try to get things back to a normal state for the baby. So off we went to buy PJ's, diapers, wipes, baby food, a few outfits, a replacement stuffed bunny, etc....

I get back to the house and the fire investigator is waiting to talk to me.... are you kidding me? My house is STILL BURNING and they are investigating... well GREAT! Right?! Not so much ~ they think that Dan or I started it and are trying to break us down to admit it. We are seperated and I sit there while the guy eats his EggMcMuffin and I watch my house burn... saying nothing, thinking nothing. He asks me if I mind him recording our converstion. No, of course not. Then the questions come ~ who pays the bills, who pays the mortgage, has your husband seemed particularly stressed out, what did you make for breakfast this morning, did you actually see your husband go back into the house after you got in the car, how did you hear about the fire, how did your husband hear about the fire. My mouth hangs open at most of these questions because after the first couple I realize what he is getting at.

Come on ~ I live in Maine. IF I were going to burn down a house I loved ~ would it be on the coldest day of the year? Would it be while I was 22 weeks pregnant? Would I be wearing my crocs on said coldest day of the year leaving them as the only pair of shoes I owned? Would I not have gotten my daughters favorite stuffed bunny? I couldn't believe the implication. He let's me go back into the house (my dad's house which is right next door). I see Dan at the top of the stairs and realize he has the same horrified look on his face that I do.

After a few hours another investigator comes to talk to us and asks if we have (had) a laptop. Well yes I do, OMG I left it plugged in, and on sitting on my bed, OMG! I did burn down the house. No the investigator says that can't be it the fire didn't start there it started in the living room. Do you own another laptop? Dan says he actually got the laptop off the bed and used it to burn a CD for work before he left. Phew! He noticed the battery was almost dead so plugged it in but turned it off when he was done. He left it plugged in to charge and left it on the couch. OFF. Okay well that can't be it either. Yes the fire investigator says "it looks as though the battery blew up, the fire hit a four alarm status less than 15 minutes after you left the house". Well holy crap ~ we have a Dell laptop ~ but checked the battery when they were recalled. We didn't even have the same model laptop ~ but we did check it anyway ~ no recall.

And so started the LONGEST 6 months of my life. We lived at a temporary place in Ocean Park, Maine until Zoe was born on June 1st. When I came out of the hospital we moved to an Ocean side condo for what ended up being 6 weeks. Long weeks. I have spent countless hours thinking about, planning for, painting, cleaning and furnishing our new house. I have fought with contractors, flooring people and city officials. I have begged and pleaded that living in a house without a working stove for a couple days is far better than living in our van with two tiny children. Yet all my pleas fall on deaf ears. We finally said screw it and moved in anyway.

So today is the day I will get the stove hooked up and finally be able to "officially" live in my new house. 169 days, 5 months 19 days after I lost my home to a fire caused by a Dell Laptop. Our new slogan for dell? "Dude, you're getting a burned down house" google it.

Introduction Part 2

2007-07-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

Okay so where was I? Superbowl Sunday I guess. I was still sick and spent a whole day eating chicken broth and drinking Ginger Ale in bed. Dan and Mena spent a tough day together and I tried to visit with them a couple times throughout the day but ended up pretty much right back in bed.

So the next morning I woke up and felt suprisingly well. I grabbed my laptop, check on 'my girls' (www.loungeplace.com/bb), threw my laptop on my bed and headed to the shower to get ready for work. I got downstairs and Dan had Mena all ready for school, fed and dressed except for shoes. We sat her on the stairs and each tied on a shoe. I decided to stop and get myself a bagel and coffee after I dropped off Mena. So off I went to bring Mena to school, it was just about 7:45. I drove her to school and grabbed my bagel. I usually call and talk to my mom on my way to work (about 45 minutes from school to work) but decided to eat my bagel and then call her. As I got close to work I picked up my phone to call mom and noticed I had FIVE missed calls from my dad of all people, who probably hasn't called me five times in the last year! To his credit we do live next door to each other and usually run over rather than call.

I called my dad and asked him if he was at work and he said "no, I am on my way home from work ~ your house is on four alarm fire!" Okay ~ so I ask "is Dan in the house" "they say no one is home" "but you are SURE Dan isn't there" "that's what they tell me" "okay I am turning around and will meet you there" I hang up from this call completely numb.

More later.....

Introduction

2007-07-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

Hello World! My name is Suellen and this is my blog about raising my two girls! I am the proud mother of two wonderful daughters (Mena ~ 7/15/2005 & Zoe 6/1/2007) who entertain me and try my patience at the same time. I will attempt to document what being a WAHM to two small children can do to an otherwise intelligent, well adjusted, happy grown woman!

A little of history about me and my small family:

My husband (Dan) and I met at work just about five years ago (7/15/2002). We began dating after knowing each other for about 6 months (1/2003), and we engaged just five short months (6/2003) later and married 10 months later (4/17/2004). We knew we wanted to start our family right away (I am not getting any younger you know!) and I was shocked when I didn't get pregnant the first month we tried. I mean we were taught in school that unprotected sex unequivically leads to pregnancy right? Wrong! We didn't have to wait long to conceive our first child in June 2004, unfortunately that child miscarriaged on 7/23/2004 (I bet Dan would be surprised to know I remember that date). We conceived again in October 2004 and in July 2005 our first daughter was brought into the world via "electivish" c~section.

In late July that year we bought and moved into our first home. We were so giddy with excitement of seeing our itty bitty live out her years of childhood there. We imagined her sitting on the stairs when she was supposed to be in bed, trying to get a peek at what happens after bedtime, and her spending halloween and christmases there making her own memories. We were on top of the world! This was one of the happiest times in my life.

We waited the mandatory three months before trying to get pregnant again. Our second child proved harder to come by and we didn't get pregnant again until September 2006. Mena was 15 months old when we found out that number two was on the way! We were again busting with joy! We waited 12 months to see that second line and couldn't believe it had happened. The pregnancy proved very hard for me. I was sick until February 4th ~ Superbowl sunday and I was STILL sick. Man ~ I tried EVERYTHING ~ I even had IV treatments and was still losing weight and not able to eat anything. Little did I know that would be the least of my worries.

More to come tomorrow ~ both kiddos are waking up!