Mommy Likes her Vino

Well Hello Everyone...

2011-01-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Yes, yes, yes…I know. July to January wasn’t such a good run…but what can I say? Life was busy, living the dream and all that good stuff. So here we are another new year, another chance to hopefully make it memorable and not screw up too much along the way. I can honestly say 2010 was a great year and if I could replicate it or make it even slightly better…well then 2011 will be a banner year indeed.

So much to talk about since the last 6 months, but this is a blog and not a novel so let’s just review the Cliffs Notes version shall we?

-Summer…it was all it should have been, warm, sunny, sailing, the lake, boating, beaching, camping, PERFECT! AND…the man & I celebrated our 10th Anniversary…hard to believe that 10 years went by so fast and I am lucky enough to say I am even more in love with the guy now than I was back then and trust me I was head over heels for him then! We got away for a little vacation to Cape Cod just the two of us and had a BLAST…if you’re a parent & reading this I implore you to get away with your spouse at least 1x a year…you need it…no really you do, just ask me. Also I have decided to add to my list of things I will do when I win the lottery, it now includes buying a home on Nantucket (might by a plane for the island too just in case I miss the ferry…).

-Fall…kids start school, major life change with daycare and it was a difficult lead up but they are both doing great…seriously Ross & Jack love school and this makes us incredibly happy! AND…with their change in schedule our work schedules changed and bonus I get home a lot sooner…this too makes for a very happy Mommy! They both played soccer and Ross also played football…was a busy time but they both had a blast, not so sure on the football front but with age & growth I think Ross will enjoy it more. He was very much the little guy on the team (seriously the smallest by FAR) & I can’t blame the kid for not wanting to be pummeled by a kid 2x his size…other than that they both are growing and thriving and seriously getting smarter by the minute…the transformation is incredible, but too fast as always. Oh yes and the boys got bunk beds and they love it…and so does Mom…so now we have a real guest room for anyone who feels like drinking too much wine with me & spending the night…

-Work…was tough, business was slower than we had both would have liked…I took a “sabbatical” from traveling in Sept & Oct due to the changes the kids were going through with school & daycare and frankly just didn’t want to miss out on the happenings of life during that time…it sort of came back to bite me in the ass in that I ended up traveling more than I wanted to in Nov & Dec, but you do what you have to do. I think as a parent it is tough to be away when your kids are really little because it seems like they change everyday & you don’t want to miss any milestones…unfortunately as they get older it has become apparent that it is much harder on the kids, as both boys have struggled with my travel schedule. Luckily Brian is a great Dad and more than attentive during my travel times and of course I am so guilt ridden that I smother them with love & attention when I return…this parenting is NOT for the weak!

-Health…we’ve all been pretty healthy up until the recent crap that went through our house causing Ross to end up in the ER one night for IV fluids…I tell ya that kid does NOT mess around when it comes to getting sick…he really only gets sick maybe 1x a year, but when he does the shit will hit the fan! We’ve also been dealing with some crazy unexplained allergic reactions with Ross…we have finally conceded that it is more than his pediatrician can figure out and off to the allergist we go in 2 weeks! Send us some good juju that we might possibly get some kind of an answer…

What else, what else…last years resolutions actually held pretty true, as my last post alluded to I started to try and get my weight down and become a healthier me…as of today I am down 26 lbs and still working diligently at losing weight…slipped from my yoga routine, but anxious to get back on that train and add some cardio to the mix. I feel like I am more organized than before…not that I am truly organized yet, but at least it is still a work in progress…I am doing better at managing my time despite what my Mother says and again I haven’t achieved perfection, but it feels like it is getting better. As for the “should we have another baby” it is a resounding No (just don’t ask the boys). Our family of four is everything we wanted in life and this is how it will stay...now if only someone would do something about that *cough...Brian...cough*. I’d have to look back and see what else I put down, but like I said 2010 was a great year...so I have plans to make this year even better!

That’s it for today…but tomorrow I have a special post in store for our big boy who is…gah…turning 7!?!??!!

Before I log off...here's my newest favorite family pic of the Vino Familia...

Feels good to be back in the blogosphere...

"...you're a hard habit to break."

2010-07-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Don’t panic…I know you think someone has probably confiscated my blog account, but never fear it really is Vinomommy. So much to talk about as always, but today my post is going to be somewhat of an awakening, somewhat heavy hearted and more than anything a new beginning for me. My suggestion is to grab a glass of water, coffee, diet coke, vino, or beer and settle in for a nice long post…

I use my blog to document life and what transpires in this head of mine…the posts are sporadic at best, but I try…probably why I never succeeded at keeping a diary. When I did have a diary it went something like this….“Dear Diary today is my 11th Birthday” and then the next entry would be “Dear Diary today I graduated from High School” so as you can see consistency was never my strong suit.

At any rate a few weeks ago my Grandma (my savior…seriously) came to clean. Yes I hire my Grandma to clean my house, why? Because she is a fierce cleaner, who leaves no spot untouched and she offered, so there. Anyways I used to have her clean 1x month and then the recession hit and so did everything else in life. So I stopped having her clean about 6 months ago, fast forward to a few weeks ago…our house was in need of a SERIOUS scrub. Mind you we have always kept a “clean” house, sure toys were around, maybe I still had a bag of Easter eggs & candy sitting out, mail piled, laundry to do, dust bunnies on the shelves…but nothing that was worth signing me up for an episode of Hoarders. But something happened…

I am not sure how others feel but I know that when beds are made, laundry is kept up & put away, dishes are done, bathrooms are cleaned, offices are organized and shit is put away…our house, family, marriage all runs smoothly, like a well oiled non stressful machine. Let me emphasize the non stressful part…because it is true. When the house is in chaos so is this family, we (me, Brian, and the boys…truthfully probably just B & me). It puts us both on edge and with two very active boys, combined with two very demanding careers, we don’t need additional chaos!

So what happened? Brian and I arrived home from work on Friday to a clean house courtesy of Grandma and then we found ourselves spending the weekend putting away the laundry she had done, and then moved to the kids rooms and did the same, then we cleaned the basement (i.e. organized), I started organizing the kids toys, games, pantry, office, steam cleaning the carpet and before you know it our house was perfect. Well maybe not totally perfect, but perfect in our eyes. What was left was a very clean, organized home with beds made, laundry put away…a polished beauty, one that we would be proud to call home.

But the BEST part? Almost a month later it still looks that way. When we go to bed, leave for work, whatever…the house is in order. Funny how keeping up with everything is a lot easier than trying to do a complete overhaul…who knew? (Mom, Grandma no comments please!) I think I have actually become a bit neurotic because I seriously can’t leave the house or go to bed with things out or dishes in the sink, etc…ridiculous and wonderful all at the same time.

Which brings me to the reason behind this post…habits. It took giving us a fresh start and committing to keeping our house organized and doing it EVERY SINGLE DAY to become a habit and of course breaking the bad ones.

I have some other bad habits too that need breaking and rewiring…so here goes the second part of this post.

This weekend we are having an all family picture on my Mom’s side, the last one was taken in 1998. So much has changed in 12 years including losing my Grandpa (and trust me when I say this is no easy feat thinking about him not being part of this picture) but there is also a lot of good too…marriages, babies...all totaling a new family picture of 27 people. The coordination of this picture has been a year in the making since a portion of our family lives in AZ. A year…an entire year I knew this picture would be happening and here I am days before the picture thinking to myself “why didn’t you do something sooner.”

Believe me this is not a pity post AT ALL, I am not fishing for affirmations or excuses; I am just being honest with myself. I knew this picture was going to happen and I know that there is a good chance we might not ever have another or at least it won’t be in the next 10 years. So why on earth did I not get my ass in gear sooner with the healthy eating and exercise regime that I have so desperately wanted to start and make it a habit by now? Excuses and lots of them. I really despise myself in pictures right now and if I am to be to totally honest at least the last 6 years…and now I will have a permanent portrait of how much I do not like the way I look at this moment.

No it’s not all about physical beauty it’s also about being healthy and doing something for myself, for my kids and for my husband. I don’t think I am ugly, hideous, or anything of the sort, in fact I feel beautiful more often than not. But I do know that I have avoided for a long time admitting to myself that I am not totally happy with who I have become. So there is really nothing I can do about the looming picture this weekend, well maybe slip the photographer a hundred to Photoshop the hell out me. Instead I am going to use this as a new beginning to break some bad habits and create some new healthier ones.

I start yoga on Monday and am ecstatic to being doing this and I have a few other little things in my back pocket that I am committing to as well. My plan is in a few weeks to come back to this blog and be able to rave about how in addition to a clean organized house I have also become a healthier me.

Chicago was sort of right…hard habits are hard to break, but not impossible.

Until next time…

Travel Diaries...

2010-04-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

I guess I sucked at keeping my resolution of staying on top of my blog….but you know what they say…life happens. Well at any rate I am here now…fresh off of my flight from MSP to LGA (that’s Minneapolis to LaGuardia for the laymen out there). The flight was standard…actually a little cramped to be honest. Apparently depending on what straw you draw you may end up on a smaller DC10 than the last DC10 you flew on, even when flying on the same airline. Ridiculous I tell you…planes are like women’s jeans just when you think you find the perfect pair, you return to the store to buy a second pair of the exact same jeans, but are crushed to find they are indeed NOT the same jeans that you originally purchased. Make sense or completely lost?

This nonsense is all leading up to a long post of random thoughts but mostly about me evolving into a certified travel snob. First off I must say I rarely ever talk to the person I sit next to, not because I don’t like them or I am antisocial quite the opposite in fact, unfortunately I borderline on being diagnosed with narcolepsy and use my flights to feed my need to sleep whenever possible, which for those of you who have children know that naps are a rarity at best. Truly, I love naps like most people love a good scotch…so good, yet over too quickly, and you always want more…wait that sounds like (KIDDING HONEY!!!)…I digress….so this time I actually engaged in a conversation with my flight neighbor and no joke we talked the entire flight…crazy I know.

Let me introduce you to my flight friend, his name is Louis, he was wearing skinny jeans that were rolled, a button down shirt, cardigan with a fabric flower pin and navy blue canvas boat shoes…I know, quite the impression that I remembered all of this. He also had very nice hair, not like drop dead gorgeous hair, but I could tell he fell into the product whore category such as myself (later we both agree it is worth checking luggage to travel with full size hair products). You are all saying to yourself “surely he is straight with a penchant for style” but on the contrary…my new friend Louis is certifiably not straight and confirmed this later in our conversation, because as he stated “I have four brothers and my Mom swears she always knew I was special”…special indeed Louis, I am certain none of your brothers could pull off wearing skinny jeans with a floral pin with as much panache as you if they tried.

At any rate, we struck up a conversation over the fact that the OLDEST living FLIGHT ATTENDANT that ever existed (I SERIOUSLY kid you not) was working our flight…I wish I remembered her name (lets call her “Matilda”) because she might just be the 1st flight attendant ever hired by Delta…and god bless the woman, but she couldn't hear or see (she actually told us this)…of course the 3rd Musketeer in our row was concerned that “Matilda” might not make it if we were to find ourselves in a serious situation (crashing, etc…) but what was the first thing my friend Louis and I were thinking? Better order 2 drinks cause she’ll never make it back by the time my first is empty, hell she might not make it at all. So Louis ordered 2 Vodkas & a club soda, while I of course ordered…you guessed it, 2 Cabernets. We chatted about him being born & raised in Minneapolis and now living in NY going to Grad school for Fashion Design and working at Caroline Herrera’s fashion house. Just so you know when he graduates this Spring he is hoping to land a job with Ralph Lauren or J Crew…we of course discussed other things like where I work and how he remembered my High School because he heard about it burning down when he was in Junior High. Other topics included our love for trashy gossip magazines (which we later swapped) and how we were both surprised that Jenny McCarthy & Jim Carrey broke up…but neither of us were saddened…we also talked about our devotion to the best TV show ever, Lost (ok maybe not ever but at least right now) and the up & coming favorite, Modern Family. I swear had my cousin Bobby, er Rob or whatever the hell he wants me to call him hadn’t found the love of his life (no worries Jeremy we love you!) I sooooo would be setting Louis & Bobby up on a blind date, but alas it was not meant to be. At any rate Louis and I had a great time chatting it up about all things that most men in my life would have no desire discussing…ever.

Yes, it was all that and much more and it reminded me that maybe sleeping my life away on flights isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, I mean how many Louis’s have I missed by snoring my way through 30,000 feet? I guess I will never know.

Does the mean that I will no longer hit snooze while flying the friendly skies? Hell no. But maybe, just maybe I’ll at least attempt to make eye contact before dozing off. So I think I have probably dragged this post on long enough and you’ll have to wait with baited breath to hear my rant about how I’ve turned into a travel snob until later.

Until next time…

LMAO...

2010-02-02T15:43:00.000-08:00

...yeah so let's start this post out on a "funny"...I was playing around with the "dashboard" on my blog and came across the "next blog" button, so naturally I do what most curious people do and click on it...this is where shit starts to get funny...the next blog was...wait for it.........."Gay Dad's in Munchkin Land"...if you are not laughing you should be...and no gay hate emails either, cause ya'll know I love everyone, gay, straight, diagonal & everything in between....but that, that made me laugh OUT LOUD.

So what else, what else...sitting at the Grill/Bar in my hotel in Indy, yes I am traveling again, yes it sucks, but that's old news right? Enjoying some Vino, waiting for dinner and then prepping to watch the season premier of Lost...gawd I love that show, tis my guilty pleasure and I love it as much as I loathe it. Also I should note that holy hell it is hot in this restaurant...must be trying to help you sweat away the calories...but I digress.

I do have a few things on my mind, first my baby, my sweet, sweet BIG BOY is 6. I am the Mother of a six year old...WOW. The fact that I am a Mom is not surprising the fact that my first born is 6 just slays me...people who do not have kids take note, you will never know how fast time flies until you have children and never underestimate this statement, ENJOY EVERY SINGLE MINUTE.

Second, I went shopping for a suit last night and saw my ass in the mirror...well lets just say "objects in mirror really are that large" talk about a buzz kill. So if you are wondering how my "workout" resolution is going...no need to ask. Most of the others are making progress, but that is for another post. Needless to say if I don't get on the treadmill soon, I may be required to hang an orange or red flag off my ass in the near future for the safety of others.

Lastly, I have encountered two instances in the last month or so that has brought to my attention that my "strong personality" might just be a little daunting or threatening to others. When I say others, I mean people who I thought knew me, or at least I thought they knew me. At first I was quite upset and put off. I mean really, none of us are perfect. I am actually quite proud that I surround myself by some of the most perfect "imperfect" individuals, but this notion of being somewhat threatening, well that just down right hurt. But then I got to thinking and of course talking with the Mr (who again, not perfect despite what his Mother & my Grandma might think) and this is me, all of me, for good or bad this is who I am. I like to laugh and make people laugh. I like to joke about serious situations to ease the tension, I like to joke about the funny things in life, because well, they are funny. But I am also a very caring and considerate person, who loves my family & friends more than they will ever know.

So yes, I may joke...a lot...and sometimes I miss the mark, but in the end those that really know me, know who the REAL Vinomommy is and what makes her tick, well those are the people that matter most and those are the people that keep me in check and remind me that they love all of me, good, bad and everything in between (even the ass with the red flag...I know, inappropriate).
Until next time...

Hello from Mormon Country...

2010-01-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

...I am currently sitting in my hotel room watching TV and kicking back from a busy day of training. I was given the opportunity to attend a sales training course being hosted by one of the sister company's that the company I work for owns. It has been great, not that I am getting back into sales...honestly I never left...don't kid yourself in thinking that once you become a manager that you no longer are "bothered" by the daily tasks of conducting business...cause guess what you still are...I digress...

Anyways it has been a great refresher and given me new ways of looking at my current ways of handling business. It has also given me an opportunity to check out yet another city & state I have never been to...Utah and more specifically Salt Lake City...this place is definitely different...a lot of Mormons, who would have thought? I have checked out the Temple, the Tabernacle, ate at a lot of great restaurants and plan on heading to Park City tomorrow night.

Usually I am not this social after hours on work trips but I am traveling with one of my staff and there are also others attending training from out of town. It's nice to have people to talk to versus working and heading back to hunker down in my room for the night...because really that gets old, boring and at times lonely. Speaking of lonely I miss my guys terribly...I constantly worry about how my travel affects them and in my own selfishness wonder if they miss me as much as I miss them...

So that's all for tonight just a little tid bit of what I am up to and hopefully I can muster the energy to write a little more of about what has been happening at Casa del Gadient...

Till next time, I will be counting the days, hours, & minutes until I see my guys...

Yes Virginia, Jen still has a blog....

2010-01-02T15:39:00.000-08:00

...so here we are again, except this time I can't even believe how long I have left this little blog of mine vacant (despite the numerous messages, complaints, etc...from all of you as "reminders")...poor thing, she has been sorely neglected.

BUT...new year = fresh slate = chance to redeem myself in the blogosphere! I am actually giddy at the thought of a fresh start...because you know a lot has happened since I last posted and although much of it has been captured on my other technology vice a.k.a Twitter it's just not as good as the real thing.

Currently I am sitting in front of the fire (a REAL fire btw) at my Grandma's house with a glass of vino as my side kick. I have spent the last 4 days here and the level of rejuvenation I am feeling is astounding. My time has been spent loving on my kiddos, laughing out loud, sleeping, drinking, playing cards & driving those that I love crazy with my outrageous singing and at the end of the day it is exactly what I needed to realign my life post 2009.

So how was 2009 you may ask? Good. There were struggles with work (honestly that is an understatement for both the Mr & I), challenges of the unknown, and the loss of a loved one but there was so much more that was good, real good...having a family I love & adore, we were & still are healthy, we have two handsome & wonderful boys, we have jobs, we have a home, we have debt...I was doing so well until that last statement...but in all honesty I REALLY can't complain, life simply has been as it should, good/bad and everything in between.

So where are we headed in 2010? Well I hope for more of the same (at least the good stuff), but as many of you have done, I too have compiled a list of resolutions that I am going to strive to accomplish in the New Year...cliche I know, but that is how I roll. So here it goes, in no particular order, Vino Mommy's resolutions for 2010:

1. Exercise - Yes, I am using a blanket statement as I currently have no exercise plan, but trust me, I could stand to lose a few lbs (ok alot, but baby steps)...the hope is that by exercising I will have an outlet for my stress & oh yeah lose some pounds in the process.

2. Blog on a Regular Basis - Yes, hard to believe it would make the list, but I am determined to blog more than 1x every 3 months! Plus secretly I know you all want me to...

3. Reduce Our Debt - We make good money, nothing outrageous but good and what do we have to show for this DEBT...I hate it, loathe it, but can no longer hide it. I am determined to make a concerted effort to spend less...even if it means drinking less Vino...that might be a little harsh, how about "cheaper" Vino to accomplish our goals.

4. Expansion of Our Family - WE...yes the Mr & I need to make a decision of whether or not expand our family with another Bambino. Sounds so simple, but alas it is not. There are many pros & cons and frankly we just need to figure it out...the boys are getting older and so are we...I just wish I knew what the answer was...I have a feeling what the end result will be but you never know...

5. Work/Life Balance - I am continuously on the search for balance with my life & career...my life from 8 - 5 (I laughed as typed that) is more than just a job, it's my career. I have been carefully paving a path to where I am at today. Sometimes it was being in the right place at the right time and much of it is due to hard work & sacrifice. At the end of day I am always looking for balance, it may not always be equal, but balanced none the less so that I can continue on my journey while not losing sight of what means most to me.

7. Clean the Clutter - Specifically I want to get rid of the shit that plagues our basement & my craft room (many of you probably never knew we had either...). Now hear me out when I say we are a far cry from being the next "victim" on Hoarders...but I really want to transform those rooms into usable space vs a catch all for crap.

8. Focus - I am not referring to some adult onset ADD...I just want to be able to practice what I preached for so long, which is essentially be present with whom ever you are with or whatever you are doing. I seem to become increasingly distracted by the ever expanding technologies...texting, tweeting, blogging, etc...all of which has made me a little less present for those that I love and the things that I do.

So there you go, I am sure many of you would prefer a more rounded out list say to 10, but my blog, my list, my way...plus 8 seems like a number I can stick with. I plan on keeping you all posted on my progress and what my plans are to ensure that I accomplish these goals. As a wise person once said "hope is not a plan" so I guess I can't go with that route...

To all of you, thanks for sticking with me during the "dry spell" of 2009 and here's to an incredible 2010!

Where to Begin?

2009-09-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

Wow...I have really been quite the slacker lately...funny how not a day goes by that I don't think about posting something...anything really. So...I am going to start "small" and attempt to build from here...cause even though it seems like I have given up on the world of blogging...I haven't. It's more like the pendulum of time has thrown me completely off and I am fighting like hell to get back up.

I used to think my life, our life, was crazy busy...I couldn't have been more wrong, life as we know it now is UNFREAKINBELIVIBLY CRAZY.

Don't get me wrong our life is good, real good as I have said before, but the balance...that thing that I strive to find EVERY SINGLE DAY is a little off...nope make that completely off it's axis.

The boys both started school this year, Ross venturing off into Kindergarten & Jack starting his first year of Preschool. The good news here is that they LOVE it, seriously love themselves some school. Which is comforting and of course a little sad knowing that they truly are growing up and doing things without Mom & Dad's help and I of course have been playing over and over in my head "how did the last 5 1/2 years fly by so quickly?" Take a peek for yourself...

The Big Boy...
The Little Boy

My Boys...
So school has been a great thing, Ross loves his teacher and she is great despite the fact that I think she was born when I graduated from HS...ok, not really but either she is aging amazingly or...I am getting...gasp...older? Jack of course fell in love with his teacher from the get go because he actually has Ross's first Preschool teacher...Ms Mary. Let it be known that I warned Ms Mary that Jack is not Ross...not just the "he's the little brother...blah...blah" more the "he is much more 'spirited' than Ross"...which really equates to...he's a wild man, what is your liquor preference? However despite our fears that Jack would terrorize Ms Mary and wish she had retired sooner, he has done fabulous and is well behaved and BONUS has not peed his pants in school. We had little doubt that Ross would adjust to Kindergarten superbly, but of course being the shy, perfectionist, old soul that he is it can take awhile for him to get "comfortable" in new surroundings. But again, he has done wonderful and lovin' every minute...well with the exception of us asking him everyday "what did you do at school" which is usually answered with "I don't remember...I played." Huh...interesting.

So let's see we've got school, then we started swimming and soccer. Phew! Throw in the Mr having back issues which ultimately landed him with a diagnosis of a herniated disc...well that's when things really started cooking around here (although softball was no longer a scheduling issue as bad back=no softball for the rest of the year...woo hoo).

Then shortly after the start of our marathon fall my work got busy...nope busy doesn't do it justice...INSANE...the kind of insane non stop work that ultimately wore me down and had my heart beating so fast that my chest started to tighten, breathing became difficult, and a momentary nervous breakdown ensued. Which oddly enough I take meds to curb anxiety (I know, surprise!) , so you know it's bad when even the "happy pills" can't fend these feelings off.

The "busyness" is great for business, we are now half way back to where we were a year ago, which probably sounds meager at that, but trust me when I say we have made leaps and bounds. But with this has come ridiculous work hours, day, night, weekend it doesn't matter. I am at the mercy of "The Client" and I hate that. They essentially own my ass and I have no choice but to grin and bear it till it's all over. I am however doing my best to avoid the "flight mode" and am now preparing myself to "fight" knowing that if I focus on just getting the job done, that one day (god willing by December) it will be over...or at least slower.

I have cancelled both work trips and personal trips because of the work load (2 vacations to be exact). Thank god the Mr is incredibly understanding (yes I know, as a person he is much better than I...nothing new there) and is more than accommodating with my job. Good news for him is that mid-October we will be in NYC together, kid free, just he and I...and well the rest is for us to know and you to not. :)

The positive side is I have only had a couple overnight trips one being tomorrow (and no I am not packed or ready to go whatsoever and it's 11PM...) which has kept me home more, but with the amount of hours I am working I might has well be in another state. The one thing I can say is that I am perfecting the "quality" of time with my family versus the "quantity" and am consistently trying to balance that damn pendulum one day at a time (Grandma if you are reading this...if you lived with us life would be much more even keel...I'm just sayin).

So again as I have signed off before, I will attempt to keep this little life journal of mine up to date and a little more light hearted, cause I am not much of a fan of drama mama as I am of Vino mama...until next time.

You thought I left didn't you?

2009-08-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

I know you're all probably falling over that I am finally posting something...or maybe you aren't even there because you gave up on me about a month ago...(please be the first). Well I am here and life is still strolling along at a rapid pace. Actually life is good, really good...we are all happy, healthy, and always trying to find a balance between supremely chaotic and Zen...I'll keep you posted on how that works out, but give me about 30 more years.

So I have so much to post and pictures, OMG the pictures from this summer...I figure I haven't really posted many since Memorial Weekend? Well unfortunately they are not going up tonight, I am too tired and using my teeny tiny bit of energy to sneak a post in. BTW - you may look at the post time and think "Vino Mommy, it's early...why are you tired?" and my answer to that is the time that shows up when I post my blog, does not actually coincide with the real time (i.e. CST). So anyways I digress...

It has been a busy, productive...scratch that...just busy summer. There has been softball, t-ball, tennis camp, weekends at the lake, sailing, a "Gadient Wedding" which is a feat in itself, shower, bacherlorette/bachelor party, Beyonce, picnic at the farm, work....(OMG - especially for Beer Daddy)...successful potty training, birthdays, no more training wheels, family visits and so much more...it's quite ridiculous and wonderful all at the same time.

So as I was running around tonight with Beer Daddy shuffling the kids to and from tennis camp and then home to eat dinner, which turned into a pit stop of cleaning the garage (I know freakin ridiculous how the man gets side tracked), to watering the plants, make dinner, do laundry, clean out the Mini from our weekend away, put crap away, bathe kiddos, brush teeth, blah, blah, blah...I thought of something..."In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes." - Benjamin Franklin.

Weird, I know...frankly I am not sure why it crossed my mind, but here's the thing Benny...I have a few more things I am completely and utterly certain of...

1. I will never be caught up with our laundry...ever.

2. Exhaustion is a part of Parenting that they down play...I will always be tired, even after a nap.

3. Chocolate & Vino are my vices...but in moderation they should not kill me...I hope.

4. Beer Daddy and I are late...pretty much always, timeliness is our kryptonite.

5. I never want my kids to grow up too fast, even at their worst...I really do cherish it all.

6. There is nothing sweeter than slowing down and experiencing life though the eyes of your child.

7. Family can be Friends and Friends can be Family.

8. Sometimes the truth really can hurt, no matter how hard you try to not let it.

9. I really did marry my Soul Mate.

10. I will always be forever wanting more time to write on my blog.

So there you go 10 Vino Mommy Truth's, they may not be yours, but they are most definitely mine. I may revisit this list as there is so much more that I am sure of but thought best to end this "renewal post" and keep you wanting more.

Until next time...

Really? 3 Weeks???

2009-07-16T06:58:00.000-07:00

...GASP! I can't believe that I haven't posted in 3 weeks...I sort of hate myself for being such a lackey...but it has been a crazy, busy, insane time in the Gadient house. I have so many pictures to share (no really, TONS...) but tonight I am off to Beyonce with my best partner in crime...Stacy and oh yeah even though we aren't single, we are still putting our hands up! :)

BTW...after my stern lecture I had with myself I will be updating this blog o' mine this weekend or else...

My dogs are barking...

2009-06-23T19:35:00.000-07:00

...I am so tired and my feet, OMG...are killing me! I have been traveling to NY once a month since December and you would think I would have found a pair of shoes that could with withstand the incredible amount of walking...but alas I am stumped.

On my last trip I had a record 5-6 blisters on each foot and no I was not wearing "hooker shoes" (use your imagination or ask Hola Carlos aka Catherine). So I was really excited when on my last trip to Indy I was certain I had found THE pair that could handle the rigorous amount of walking required when working in NY....or not. Such a bummer, because I swear they felt like pillows, comfortable as all get out and by they way, oh so cute!

Frankly I am becoming desperate because the dogs, they are barking and they are loud. I know my Dad is reading this and thinking why doesn't she wear her sneakers, because in my Dad's eyes you can wear them with anything. But I am pretty sure that sneakers with my suit/work clothes to meet with clients just might catapult me back into the 80's.

So if any of you have suggestions, I am all ears...or um eyes.

BTW...missing my guys oh so much tonight and can't wait to see them tomorrow...there will be some serious snuggle time in the Gadient house.

Don't hate me...hate the Internet...

2009-06-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

I know I said no more 2 week spans between posts, but apparently my Internet did not get the memo. The good news is that we are back online and well better than ever...or well at least back.

So I am back in NYC for a quick trip and tonight I was too tired to do anything exciting. I am so lame that I went to the restaurant across the street and then back. Frankly waking up at 4AM after a long fun filled weekend to make a 7AM flight can drain you. According to Stacy I am to call her when I find my personality...apparently I wasn't the most talkative friend today...frankly I don't blame her, when I am this tired talking becomes a chore.

But alas I did promise you a story about Ross and his curious question "how do babies get in people's bellies?" So here it goes...Brian (aka Beer Daddy) and I took the boys for a walk on a beautiful Sunday morning and as we were walking the following ensued:

Ross: Mom, how do babies get in peoples bellies?

Me: (Thinking oh my god, oh my god, I am not ready to answer this question, he is only 5, why is he asking this, what do I say...I mean some people love each other, but some people don't...sometimes there are 2 Mommies or 2 Daddies...crap where do I begin?!?!?!?!)

Ross: Mom?

Me: (Looking at Beer Daddy for some help) Well Ross it's a long story that I will tell you later.

Beer Daddy: (Giving me the look of "way to bail on that answer") Ross, not everyone can have a baby just Mommies and when 2 people love each other they get together and have a baby.

Ross: Ok

Me: (Are you kidding me, they "get together" and have a baby? What kind of answer is that...why didn't I think of it...)

Beer Daddy: (Smirking)

After about 5 minutes...

Ross: Hey Mom, you said your story was long, is it different?

Me: Nope, I think Daddy said it all.

So there you go, our first "difficult" discussion regarding the birds and the bees. I know pathetic, but hell it worked and what did we learn...sometimes the simplest answer is the best.

And one more story, because is there anything better than what comes out of the mouths of babes? At dinner last week...

Ross: Mom, what is on your face?

Me: What?

Ross: That thing, it looks like a volcano or something.

Me: (Oh you mean that blemish on my face...why did I have kids?)

Beer Daddy: Ross that is not nice to say...you should apologize.

Ross: Well it does...

Gotta love them, they have no sensor that's for sure...I can't wait for his first pimple, I mean volcano.

Time Bandit...

2009-05-27T18:57:00.000-07:00

...I have no real reason for not blogging as of late, however if I could pin the blame on something I would say my life has something to do with it. Just busy, you know that oxymoron being a "Working Mom" it's just that, life, well it never ceases to keep me moving at the max. I have had my share of relaxing moments, my birthday Spa Day for instance (Heaven!), last weekend at the lake, etc...it just seems like when you have those times the last thing I am thinking about doing is opening the laptop.

Of course I could blog after I get done with work, pick up the kids, stop at the grocery store, make dinner, play with the kids, give the kids a bath, read them a story, put them to bed, clean up dinner, start laundry, fold laundry...I sit on the couch with BeerDaddy, who has also competed in this marathon day and we chat about life's greatest mysteries, like are we out of milk, who is dropping off the kids tomorrow, when are we going to put this laundry away and then....it is 10:30/11 ish and we are exhausted, so we head to bed and race to see who can fall asleep first (I am the winner 99.9% of the time).

We are surely not alone in this "Rat Race" called parenting...but it can put a brake on the ol' blogging, which I really do find therapeutic. So now that I have gotten that diatribe out of the way, I can catch you up the life that is mine.

My birthday was fantastic, although I had a very slight, itty bitty midlife crisis turning 31, mainly because I found more gray hair, my face looked like I was aging and more importantly I was so excited to turn 30 and FINALLY be done with my 20's that I kind of forgot that the years keep coming. BUT...I did get over it and my guys had breakfast with me, I had an absolutely lovely day at the spa with my Mom, Grandma and Stacy...and capped the night off with a delicious dinner at our house with family and friends. Really it doesn't get any better (the cut, color & facial helped with the aging part too).

Ross is done with preschool and to say that I am going to be a puddle when he starts Kindergarten or graduates from High School is an understatement. I had to leave his last day of preschool ice cream social about 10 minutes early and found a few tears strolling down my cheek while walking to my car just thinking about my first baby moving on to the next stage of growing up...too fast I tell you, too fast. Quick cute story about his last day...I went to thank his teacher for all she had done this year and she said that "Ross had really opened up this year and...well the girls are quite smitten by him. And well Ross, he seems to be quite the keen on them as well." Oi vey...my little blond Casanova. Here are a couple pics of Ross with his teachers...

I have so much more to tell, but I need to sign off as last night the guy in the hotel room next to me (yes, I am on the road again, back in the Big Apple and more adventures to tell) vomited his brains out, literally. All night long and the intensity of the sound was unreal, I honestly have no idea how he could even possibly have enough in him to last that long, so I have decided he must have lost his spleen and a couple other organs throughout the night. Just in case you were wondering I am staying at the beautiful Grand Hyatt, however the walls are so thin, I think it is a requirement in NY that any sound must be magnified while in your hotel room. My guess is the only thing between the walls is a piece of vellum paper. So my plans to get some much overdue work done were shattered. I did however decide that I could not stomach listening to this again tonight as 2 pillows over my head with the tv on could not drown him out. So I went to the front desk asked if they could check to see if the person in the room next to me had checked out, explained why, the apologized profusely and asked if they could send up a bottle of wine for my troubles...of course not wanting them to feel bad I agreed...I know big of me.

More to come and no I will not wait 2 weeks or more...good stories are on the way and just as a teaser I'll just say that Ross posed this question to BeerDaddy and I on a recent walk "how do babies get in people's bellies?" YIKES!

Mother's Day 2009...

2009-05-12T06:18:00.000-07:00

Biting the Big Apple...

2009-05-09T16:36:00.000-07:00

...again I find myself sitting down to try and update my blog for the billionth time in the last couple weeks, however this time there will be success!

I am currently coming to you from the "Lake" aka Grandma's house on Lake Mille Lacs for the Fishing Opener and more importantly our annual Mother's Day Weekend. I look forward to this weekend for many reasons, typically it is the "kickoff" to the many weekend trips we will make here this summer (although we frequent the lake all year long), it is the FIRST of my Birthday Celebrations (I adore my birthday beyond words, why I don't know, I think it is something my Dad instilled in me and we both make sure our celebrations last a good month), and bonus now that I have Children I get to celebrate Mom's Day with my Grandma, Mom, Aunts, and now Cousin's Wives. The weekend pretty much sucks for the guys on many levels, not only do they get to submerge themselves in the freezing cold water to put the dock and lift in, BUT they also get to cook & clean all day Sunday for the Women. Lucky men, they should be so fortunate that they married us! :) So I spent the day playing outside with the boys and taking them for a spin on the four wheeler, now we are hunkered down inside while I enjoy a fine glass of Vino and the Men they are hovered around the fire trying to warm up....

The last couple weeks have been a little crazy, but life seems to be slowing or maybe it's that my travel scheduled has slowed. I was in NY last week for work and then a Friend/Coworker, Susie, met me out there for a little girls getaway. We had a BLAST! Needless to say we tore up NY in a few short days. The first night we had the best intentions to head over to Rockefeller Center for dinner, but ended up "stopping" for a drink at the hotel bar...yeah well that quick stop lasted a little longer because they carry one of my favorite Pinot Noir's (La Crema) and I can't have just 1 (again, that is why I am Vino Mommy)...at some point we managed to pull ourselves away and walked a couple blocks down to a place called McFadden's Tavern. Great burgers, but the music was way too loud for our old ears so we had to leave as we could only comprehend every 4th word we spoke (and no it was not because of the wine I had consumed). We spent the rest of the trip hitting up Chinatown for some "discounted" designer purses, Little Italy for lunch, Central Park with a pit stop at Tavern on the Green, Times Square, lunch in Tribeca and FINALLY mastering the Subway! There are so many stories but I will only make you suffer through 2 (Lance and Beerdaddy quit rolling your eyes)...

...first one happened while shopping in Chinatown, we were accosted about every 5 feet with someone asking us "you want Gucci, Coach, Prada...come with me" (you have to say it really fast and in your best Chinese accent) and then all of the sudden this man who appeared to be homeless or maybe he just had poor hygiene yelled into the crowd "THIS IS INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME AT IT'S WORST, YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED". Ashamed, me? No. Giddy at the great deals and happy that I can help this Entrepreneur realize his/her dreams. Yes.

The second and the one that still has me laughing, is when Susie and I were walking out of Central Park and an older Asian man had photos displayed of famous NY landmarks and Central Park...we stop to look and he turns to Susie and the following conversation transpires...

Man: Foto (again use your best Chinese/English accent)

Susie: (Nods that it indeed is a photo)

Man: Foto, Foto, Foto, Foto

Susie: Yes (again, smiling that and acknowledging that they are photos and there are 4 of them )

Man: Fo Seasons, April, May, Fall, Christmas

Priceless I tell you, priceless. I will try and post some pictures from the trip in the next couple days, but until then I hope all of you readers that are Mother's have a wonderful day tomorrow...I know I will!

Random...

2009-04-25T18:04:00.000-07:00

...I am currently at Casa Del McNab in the great City of St Cloud for a weekend visit of splendor and vino...today I joined the ladies of "Oakwood Lane" (Stacy's gal pal neighbors) for a little lunch which I imagine is much better and less controversial than the ladies of Wisteria Lane. Good food was followed by a trip to the mall in which I became reacquainted with all that is fantastic at New York & Company. I hadn't been there in years and needless to say I made up for lost time. Good for me, bad for BeerDaddy.

So not a whole lot of earth shattering news, we signed Ross up for Kindergarten and have come to the decision that he will attend half day in the morning (we were told that our neighborhood has been AM for years) and Brian will bring him to school (they don't bus from our neighborhood). I am hoping all works well, we have stressed out (or maybe just me) over this for months and I'd like to think that we have made the best decision possible...we'll see. Speaking of decisions Stacy called me shortly after reading my last post to inform that I had indeed lost my mind as she had never considered me a bad parent and was dumbfounded as to why I would think that and post such nonsense. My response was...maybe it was PMS and I didn't want to admit it...or lack of Vino.

Other than that last weekend we had a little memorial dinner in honor of the 1 year since my Grandma passed away, it was very nice and since my Grandpa adored and loved my Grandma immensely he wrote a little speech that had most in tears...such a sappy guy...(BeerDaddy pay attention). That same day my godson turned 21, yes my Aunt was that nutty and bequeathed me with the honor of being her son's Godmother at the tender age of 10. So being the good Godmother that I am, I go out for a couple glasses of vino so that I can buy him a shot. Well somehow I was given a couple shots and boom goes the dynamite. It was a lot of fun, but I am way to damn old to do that anymore as Sunday came around and I was not so much enjoying life.

Last but not least I am sending a special shout out (albeit belated) to my Dad/Mr Fabulous/Bampa/Special Shoes...who turned a fantastic 51 this week. I luv ya Dad!!!

Parenting, it's not as easy as it looks...

2009-04-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

...hard to believe that this Thursday I will be taking the Big Boy to "Kindergarten Roundup" i.e. registering him for school, meet the teachers, and get a sneak peek at what's in store for next fall.

I know I have said it before but I am simply amazed at how fast time has flown, I mean really how is it possible that 5 years have already passed since he was born? He is such a precocious little boy, who has been called an "old soul" more than once. He is a lover, a cuddler, but needs his space. He definitely knows what he wants and has no issue letting us know how he feels about something. He can not be forced, if he is not ready to sing a song, play a game, etc...he will not do it.

He is a processor, a thinker and me, I am doer. This can be a conflict at times, me being the Mom who wants him to do something on my time (get his shoes on, pick up a toy, take a picture...) and he of course not wanting to do this. I know this sounds like the classic parent/child conflict, but lately I feel like my fuse has been a little short. No need to call CPS...nothing bad, we aren't on a spanking rampage (and NO I am not berating those who choose to spank), I just realized that on at least 2 occasions this weekend I sort of snapped at my Big Boy for not doing what I asked him to and maybe just maybe it was a little more than what was necessary for the "crime".

I worry that I have been too hard on him and for goodness sakes he is only 5 and if I am this hard on him at 5 what will I be like when he is 10 or 15? So I shed some tears (NO, I am not PMS'ng) and BeerDaddy brought me back to reality that yes I may have snapped (we all have our moments) and lord knows between the funeral frenzy, Easter, and all that ensued last week I was a wee bit stressed, that I am still a good Mom.

I just don't want my boys to remember me as that Mom who was too tough or hard to please, because oh my god these boys mean the world to me. So I will forgive myself, as I am sure my little Rossman has for my little blurp in time where I wasn't the perfect Mommy and hope that he and Jack always know how much I love them. They are my sweet perfection that bring me so much joy and I know that there will be other moments, but hopefully I can learn a little something each time.

Like I said, this parenting thing...it's not as easy as it looks.

Deja Vu...

2009-04-13T17:37:00.001-07:00

...but not the kind I like. I am back from a couple of chaotic weeks and the return to normal life is quite comforting.

A year ago, Brian and I came home from Cancun to find out that my Grandma (my Dad's Mom) had become sick and although initially we thought it was something she would recover from, it was dire enough that we were told we should head to the hospital when we landed. Within a week of being home she passed away. This was devastating for all of us as it was so unexpected, this Saturday it will have been 1 year.

So when I got on the plane to come home from Cancun a week ago and made a call home before takeoff to see how the boys were doing, I was crushed to hear that my Grandpa was not doing well. I waited until we were in flight and went up to First Class where my parents were to let my Mom know what little I knew and that it sounded serious. I went back to my seat and just sat that there in awe that we could possibly be going through the same motions as last year. We landed, my Mom called her Sister to find out what his status was and made the decision that she needed to get to his house as soon as possible. My Mom's other sister arrived a few hours later and would join them shortly. I was told that I could wait until morning that things would be fine until then. I went to bed that night second guessing that I should have gone to see him, my thoughts were confirmed when I received a call at 6:30AM on Monday that my Grandpa had passed away 15 minutes earlier.

I was sad, I was mad, and in an instant the relaxed and refreshed feeling of being on vacation less than 24 hours earlier was gone. The rest of last week went as most do after someone passes, we cried, we put pictures together, family gathered, we laughed, we became stressed, we told stories, we said good bye and then we partied. Wait....doesn't every family have a good party when someone dies? Well, my family does because well that is what we do best, celebrate life and the life of someone we love.

My Grandpa was a complex man to say the least, he saw things from a point of view much different than I. I always knew he had a love for the outdoors, hunting, fishing, anything that would place him near a lake or woods. What I didn't know was the deep love that he had for his family. Not that I didn't think he loved his Children, Grandchildren or Great Grandchildren...it was just not something I heard him speak about. But I couldn't help but notice how many people at his funeral stated how much he expressed to them the immense love he had for his family above all. I would be lying if I didn't say this took me by surprise. Again, I don't say this as a negative thing, I guess maybe I viewed his love as more understated, but it does feel good to know that we were such an important part of his life. He will be missed by many and I personally will miss my many lunches with him where I would get him up to speed on the latest and greatest stories of Ross and Jack.

So tonight I am in Indy trying to get caught up with work, caught up with life, and trying to remember what life was like before the chaos ensued. I miss my boys already and am counting down the hours till I see them again.

Hello...anyone here??

2009-04-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

I promise I have not vacated the premise...still alive, still kickin'. It has been a crazy couple of weeks and I have quite the post drafted for tonight. But until then Vino Mommy needs some vino. Much to come....

Lame...

2009-03-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

...I know, where the hell have I been...I am not on vacation, but I am back in the Big Apple. Not much to report, last night I was way too stressed about work to go out and tonight I am mentally taxed from work, not to mention physically exhausted due to being mental...I mean mentally exhausted. So I have been uploading pics of our vacation to my Facebook page (another ridiculous obsession) and tonight I realized that I need get reacquainted with my blog. So here I am. :)

I know I need to rehash the vacation and could probably sum it up in a few words...relaxing...fantastic...wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my kids, the Mr, and doing some serious kicking back. It was a much needed respite for all of us.

So funny...annoying travel story...I went to the airport and did not have any small bills on me, so I go to the sky cap service, check myself in (BY MYSELF), put my bag on the scale (BY MYSELF) and waited for the lady to pull the sticker out of a machine and put it on my bag. After placing the sticker on my bag, she lifts and puts it onto a conveyor belt. If I could put the damn thing on there myself I would.

So I walk away and she says "you did want Sky Cap service, correct?" I said yes and then noticed that she shook her head and gave me the "your a shitty cheap ass traveler" look, to which I turned around and said "I am sorry, did I miss something?" to which her reply was (mind you she walked out from behind the counter and came over to me) and says "I don't want your money today, but just so you know this is a gratuity service and I am going to take care of your bag today, but I am just saying if you don't tip your bag might not end up where you are."

WTF??!!!?? Are you kidding me...I mean I am all for tipping people and tipping people well when it is deserved, but a sticker for my small suitcase is all you did. I didn't need you to help me check in, help me pick a seat, show me where to enter my credit card and again if I could put the damn bag on the belt behind you I WOULD. Some may think I am in the wrong and that is ok, but this isn't your blog. :)

That's it, that's my story and I am sticking to it...heading home tomorrow and can't wait to see my boys.

Rum Pickled Brain...

2009-03-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

...sorry I haven't written, my brain is well....pickled from the sun, rum and vino from the trip. It was a blast and I am definitely set to write a post about all of the fun times we had on vacation....but not until tomorrow. Here's a some pics to tide you over....

The Waltons...

The view from our deck...

Vino Mommy & Beer Daddy before our night out...
Me & Stacy...
We were a little "horny" at the 40th Annual St Patty's Day Parade...

Wish You Were Here...

2009-03-06T15:44:00.000-08:00

...currently in paradise and it is just as wonderful as before. Ahhhh...love me some vacation.

Lights, Camera, Action....

2009-03-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

...ever wonder what it is like to TRY and take a picture of a 2 year old...take a peek...

Men are from Mars...

2009-02-25T06:17:00.000-08:00

...seriously.

My girlfriend Carey texted us last night that Obama's speech made her water break, this is very good news as we were hoping she would have the baby before we went on vacation. So we wake up this morning and the following is a conversation between Beerdaddy and I...

Me: (with much excitement) What do you think Carey is going to have? I think it's a girl, but had a dream last night that it was a boy.

Beerdaddy: (with very little reaction) I don't know, but I am sure we will find out by the end of the day.

Hello Readers!

2009-02-23T20:13:00.001-08:00

Hello my faithful followers...no I have not been stuck at La Guardia (that's for you Grandma)...more like stuck in a blog funk. I think it's the weather....

At any rate I am back from a weekend of skiing with the family. My body hurts...so many muscles that haven't been used since...well the last time I went skiing. The exciting part of the weekend is that we got another member of the family on skis....Mr Jack! I am quite the proud Mama seeing my 2 year old on skis...now mind you he only went on the bunny hill and of course needed our help, but he had a blast and I can tell he is definitely going to be our little daredevil on the slopes.

Seriously, how cute is he? They are the tiniest skis ever!

He had to carry his skis...becuase "I a big boy Mommy"...
The dynamic duo on the slopes (we didn't plan on Jack skiing, thus he didn't have a helmet yet...don't call CPS)
Ross had a blast as well...of course he is in his 2nd season so he thinks he is a pro. Unfortunately he got the stomach flu on Sunday morning and I got to be on puke patrol in the back seat with him on our ride home from Duluth.

Yes, I document everything...even pictures of them sick in the backseat...

Funny how you get over the nastiness of watching someone puke when it is your own child. Although this got me thinking of my own neurosis about vomiting...what might this be you say? Well I have this little quirk that I actually analyze what kinds of food I will eat when I "think" there is a possibility that I might get sick, i.e. puke. Seriously, I try to think of things that I wouldn't miss if I were to throw up after eating them. So if it is something I really like, I will choose not to eat it, because I know if I did get sick after eating it I would not be able to stomach it anytime soon. Weird, yes, but smart...definitely.

I also had another sort of weird, thought provoking experience...I went to tan tonight and when I got there I noticed the woman behind the counter was one of the owners, only she was like a gazillion pounds skinnier. As I waited in line for my turn, I imagined she would tell me how she had great success on Weight Watchers or South Beach or some insane exercise regimen...which would of course make me oh so jealous that I can't stick to something like that. Simply amazed at her transformation (I haven't seen her since last year when I tanned) I told her how great she looked. She thanked me and then said that she had, had gastric bypass surgery...huh, didn't see that one coming. Which got me thinking, damn I wonder if I weigh enough for that, but wait I don't really care, but holy crap a little nick, tuck, tightening and I could be that thin...but eventually I convinced myself that if I really wanted to look that way surgery would probably not be the first option...maybe a little less vino (which sounds horrible), a little more exercise...oh hell any exercise and I might be on my way. :)

So that's it for the night...just hoping and praying that rest of us do not get sick and counting down the days until paradise...which if I haven't said it before, can't come soon enough.

Not at LGA....

2009-02-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

...I am home and want to post, so much to tell....but ya'll gotta wait until tonight. :)

Happy...

2009-02-12T13:53:00.000-08:00

...I am at La Guardia with a screwdriver and chicken fingers (yeah, I know I am the portrait of health) about 3 1/2 hours away from being with my guys....much better.

Bored and Sad...

2009-02-11T18:08:00.001-08:00

...I want to go home. I am homesick, I miss my boys and I miss Brian....yes it has been a "good" trip, did a little exploring but now I am ready to go home. Hotel life can get old real quick...work, watch tv, work out, read, phone calls, sleep and do it all over again. I know many think that traveling for work can be a glamorous life...BUT alas that is not always the case. Sometimes it is just down right lonely and I worry about the things I miss back home. It is a phase and I know that, I am just in a little funk today and I know tomorrow it will be all gone the moment my plane touches down.

Until then, I will pout....

For all of you, check out these pics from our Mom and Baby Group photo session taken by Diane Hagler last week...pretty dang cute kids if I do say so myself.
The "original" babies...now 5 year olds... The Fab Five Mom's and our Munchkins...

My oh my...

2009-02-08T17:42:00.000-08:00

...it has been awhile. Can't say that life has been too crazy, I think I just had a bad case of the "lazies" (I know it's not a real word, but I like it).

So today I have been uber lazy and actually slept most of the afternoon. Yes it was a beautiful day and I chose to sleep it away, but last nights festivities were a little crazy to say it lightly. Somehow a 30th Birthday party turned into a wild night of vino, loud music and cowboy hats. Yeah, it was that good and to boot I partied until after 3AM, which if you know me is a feat in itself.

So the little boy and I napped while the big boy went skiing with Bampa and the Mr cleaned and organized the garage...at least one of us was productive. Tomorrow I head back to NY and plan on not seeking out any overpriced nail salons considering in less than a month we will be in the Caribbean and I plan on finding a new bauble to bring home...did I mention in less than 30 days I will be surrounded by pure paradise for 10 days...excited doesn't even begin to describe how much we are looking forward to this trip. I am pretty sure we talk about it at least once a day. But can you blame us? I mean look at this place...

Other than that the kiddos are great and continue to make me laugh every single day. Their precocious personalities seem to become more and more pronounced as they days go by. Here are a couple of my recent favorite pictures...

One major highlight from my week is that I got to spend some time with the big boy by chaperoning a preschool field trip to see the play Good Night Moon. I loved being able to do this with him, but was reminded of how long it has been since I was 5. I learned that 2 children per parent is definitely the max for the inexperienced, that it is possible to say "boy's you need to sit down" at least 12 times in the first mile of our bus ride, that the back of the bus is still the deemed the coolest place to sit, that as you get older and you weigh more it hurts to bounce up and down in the back of the bus, 1 adult and 2 five year old boys is the max you can fit in one bus seat, and lastly I will quote Cole (the other boy I chaperoned) "sitting in the middle is super boring". It is true being 5 inches further away from the window is super boring. But like I said it was a blast and had many a giggles throughout the day.

Lastly a little story by Ross about his teddy bear...I think Uncle Lance has been influencing the big boy a little more than I thought.

Dieting....BLOWS.

2009-01-26T18:00:00.000-08:00

Seriously.

It is ridiculous and apparently doesn't work for me, because I like food and I like wine (hello??? I am the Vino Mommy). I tried Weight Watchers, South Beach, blah, blah, blah...I apparently suck at giving up food groups and get lost counting points.

Why am I torturing myself? Well we have a trip to the Caribbean that is around 40 days away, I have clothes that are a little more snug than normal, and the wedding of Ben & Tiff in July, that I would LIKE to look slimmer at.

So I am going to make a valiant effort at exercising, nothing major, start with some walking on the treadmill and go from there. Watch what I eat, i.e. portion control or maybe just making sure I eat slowly and eat a little healthier.

But you know what the real problem is....I really DON'T care. I mean I care about my health and making sure that I lead a good example for my kids...but the whole concept of trying to look like I did 10 years ago or some size that I *think* I should be really isn't important to me. Sure I look in mirror and think "is that still baby weight?" or look at old pictures and go "wow, I used to look good" which then leads to "I shouldn't have been so hard on myself before"...but really I am happy, I am healthy and I am bigger than I used to be.

The thing is, one of the most influential women in my life, is my Mom and to say that I think she is beautiful is an incredible understatement. The woman is intelligent, confident, beautiful, powerful and by the way not a size 2 . I am pretty sure I have never seen her take a bad picture (well not including the 70's) and put her and my Dad together and BAM you always have an incredible looking couple. They are so freaking photogenic it is sickening! Take a look for yourself...

But in all seriousness, my Mom encouraged me to exercise, make the right choices, but more than anything she taught me to be confident and love who I am no matter what. I never once heard my Mom complain about her weight or wishing she looked like someone else. Not once. So I guess I took all that to heart and really do love who I am and found someone who loves me for me.

So I guess in the end, I blame my Mom for my aversion to dieting and attaining the *perfect* body because she taught me to care more about me than some ideal weight or size. And guess what....I think I am a better person for it, but what do I know, I mean I also think Vino is the nectar of the Gods...

For everything you have done for me, I love you Mom!

One Point for the Parents!

2009-01-24T07:07:00.000-08:00

...yeah we keep score in our house, so what? So you may be asking how did the parents score a point, well...we got Ross to eat a vegetable! This is HUGE for him (ok, for us)...our children are the PICKIEST kids on the face of the earth and yes we have tried everything. The weird thing is that as babies they ate great. Currently our kids palette of food consists of the following:

Milk
Chicken Nuggets
Cereal
Cheese Pizza
Bagel Bites
Waffles/Pancakes
Mini Muffins
Pop Tarts
Noodles
Bananas (Ross only)
Cucumber (Ross only)

I have "googled", read books, and surfed hundreds of parenting websites to figure out what we can do. Unfortunately nothing seemed to make a dent in the will power of Ross...until now.

We have been introducing a new food at each dinner with the notion that they have to take a bite of the "new" food before their other dinner and it is working. So this week I made the kiddos cheese pizza and green beans and guess what?! Ross loved the green beans!!! So much that he asked for more (Jack not so much, but we'll keep trying). Elated doesn't begin to explain how we felt, so score 1 for Mom and Dad!

Other than that, this week has been far better than last week...by a long shot. But more later as we are having a little dinner tonight with friends and we are in dire need of a good house cleaning...and a little vino run.

Craptastic...

2009-01-18T11:47:00.000-08:00

...you might be asking yourself what does this mean, well let me enlighten you...

Craptastic = My week in a nutshell.

This past week was truly one of the worst weeks of my life...and I am not exaggerating with this statement. I normally avoid posting about work as I have said before, I value my job and would not want to jeopardize it with say a rant of a bad day. However I think I am "safe" in writing this post...

Take an incredibly screwed up economy, a slowing of business and what do you get...layoffs. No not me, I actually might have welcomed that and thought about it numerous times, i.e. the thought of losing my job would be less painful than letting some of my staff go. My sleep was nil..maybe a few hours at the most and my anxiety running at max levels. It was torturous and no amount of creative thinking helped to eliminate the inevitable.

My heart breaks for them as they are like family and I wished nothing more than to not have done what I did. Now I am not in need of pity as I am not the first manager to have gone through this (although I hope I don't ever have to do this again), it was just an agonizing week that has left a permanent mark on who I am.

Beyond work there is also the personal side of my life that has been hit as well, with my Grandpa relapsing with his cancer and no cure in sight...I guess the statement "when it rains it pours" has some validity to it.

So I took the weekend to catch up on some much needed sleep and hang out with my guys. We did manage to take down all of the Christmas decor before it became a permanent fixture in our home and of course throw back a little vino.

Here's hoping this week is better, the economy moves in the right direction, and a brighter future is around the corner...

The Big Apple...

2009-01-13T18:06:00.000-08:00

...is a completely different world. Seriously. I find myself in awe of the people, the chaos, the noise, and the contstant buzz of the city. I find myself trying to "keep up" with the rush of the crowd, so that god forbid I don't get trampled or bottle neck the masses in Grand Central. I am however really enjoying my time in Manhattan and feel confident that one day I won't appear as the outsider...maybe.

As silly as this sounds I was pretty damn proud of myself for navigating my way from JFK, to my hotel and then to my office with out getting lost once! I even managed to stroll around the neighborhood (ok, so a couple blocks) to check things out. Just imagine, I might actually get on the subway in a few months. :)

I did decide that my nails were in dire need of a fill and found myself at a Salon/Spa or so the sign said...yeah, this is when I was schooled in the fact that I am not from New York and sometimes it shows...the Russians (yes, I did find out that is where they are from) saw "SUCKER" on my face and had a hey day with me.

I asked if they could do a fill, which lead the lady to ask if I had ever had UV Gel Nails vs what I had on (powder gel), I told her yes, but it had been a long time. Well this is when she decided that those were the kind I needed, so off went my old nails and on with new. No big deal, my nails were getting a little "old" and so a new set would be a good change.

During this she also asked if I wanted a pedicure, hell, why not....I really did need one, but I didn't shave my legs and that is a pedicure faux pas for me...apparently that matters little to them...in fact she checked my legs to see if the hair was long enough to wax...thank god she decided it was not. Now mind you during all of this they had a sign on their window "Manicure & Pedicure - $26" so I figured the pricing would be similar to my nail place back home. WRONG (but more on that later)...Since they decided the hair on my legs was not grotesque enough to avoid giving me a pedicure I went with it. The pedicure was FANTASTIC...truly relaxing and with the week I am having I needed it.

While I was getting the pedicure, a girl came in and pointed to her eye brows and lip...I figured she needed a wax...yeah, that's when the Russian woman who was doing my nails pulled out a black string and went to town...what the...was all I could think. Then once she was done, I swear to you, she pulled out a steak knife (wooden handle and all) and did something else to her eyebrows and lip. I sat in awe over all this and just smiled, bad idea. She came back to me and said "I do you, after nails"...what??? She had to be kidding, there was going to be no steak knife near my face or so I thought.

They finished my heavenly pedicure and then back to the station I went to finish my finger nails. During this time, the Russian Woman and her Husband tried to convince me that my hair was too dark and I needed new hair products. I held strong though, I mean yeah it is a little darker, but hell I just had it done last Thursday and oh yeah the Russian woman had orange hair, total pumpkin head and I apparently I was the one with bad hair.

After completing my nails (btw...during all of this she also tried to see if I wanted a bikini wax or brazilian, um...HELL NO) she came around the table took her "string" and started on my eyebrows and then came the steak knife...maybe this is why Beer Daddy wasn't keen on me wandering Manhattan. After she completed my eyerbows she looked at me and said "you no do your lip?"...yeah pretty sure I am mustache free so far, but maybe next time. After some googling I learned that this torture treatment is called "Threading"...we back in the MN apparently aren't as advanced or maybe we are and I just don't know about it.

After the fingers, toes, and eyebrows it came time to pay...that is when I realized I got screwed...$210 the husband said. I couldn't even argue, it seemed so insane, but I was tired and wanted to head back to my hotel. Luckily I grabbed a brochure and after some serious thinking there was no way it should have been that expensive. So what do I do? March on back after work today and tell them they over charged me.

Well I get there tell them that I think they over charged me and apparently that is when the secret, small print fees (which btw are not listed in their brochure) were broken down for me or aka the breakdown of how I got screwed:

UV Gel Nail Set = $95
Spa Pedicure = $55
Threading (remember the one I didn't ask for) = $15
French Design on Toes = $15
Scrub & Oil "Treatment" for Hands = $15

I know freakin ridiculous, but I figured if I pushed the issue out would come the steak knife. So what have I learned, don't assume anything and ask for all pricing first. Thank goodness Brian just laughed it off and hoped it was as good as it cost.

I decided to take it easy tonight and pick up a bottle of vino and hang out in my room. Figured it was cheaper. :)

Welcome Back...

2009-01-11T17:24:00.000-08:00

...yes, I am back and dedicated to the cause of keeping up the blog. You may want to take a potty break or grab a beverage of choice before you dive into this post, beware it is going to be a long one. What can I say I have a lot to talk about since I decided to take a little sabbatical over the holiday season in an attempt to keep my sanity. Which as many of you know was minimal to being with. Hard to believe the holidays have come and gone considering we have not taken down an ounce of our paraphernalia...we like to take it slow....or as Rob says, maybe we're just lazy...it's a toss up. So considering my postings have been minimal at best what the heck have I been up to?

1. Christmas - ENOUGH SAID! But really the holidays were great, I mean aside from the insanity of it all (we wrapped Christmas presents until 1AM on Christmas Day...or maybe later) and enough time spent with the Family to make Carol Brady want to drink, it was great. The kiddos loved Christmas and we thoroughly enjoyed watching it all unfold through their eyes. Children seem to really add that element of magic that can sometimes be lost when you are frantically searching for just the right present or figuring out how to add one more event into an already over committed schedule, but in the end it is all worth it, see for yourself...

Christmas Jammies...love them and these btw....so true...

Christmas cuties...

Grandma Lon and Jack...

Trying to get a family picture (much Vino needed after)...

Finally some presents...

Someone made Santa's "Nice List"...

Three little Monkey's Christmas Morning...

A blanket made by Auntie Lowi (or Lori) with love...

Presents, Presents, Everywhere...

Some Cousin love (not that way...you naughty readers!)...

Vino Mommy and her boys...

As you can see there was not a lack of presents, fun or love during the holiday season.

2. Relaxing...A LOT! Which means no traveling and how I have enjoyed that! Being home has been wonderful, not worrying about packing a suitcase, catching a plane or remembering what time zone I am in has been truly delightful. Unfortunately my bliss comes to an end tomorrow as I embark on another trip to Manhattan...insert sad face here. However as I said we did enjoy some much needed down time over the holidays, much of which was spent at the lake in front of the fire, playing outside, and reading (a ton..more on that later).

Time for some 4 Wheeling in the snow...
Beer Daddy & Ross ready to roll...
Jack showing his affinity for the camera...
Bampa & his Boys (Daniel Boone 1 & 2)...
3. Reading - Yes and A LOT of it....so much that Brian is really, well fed up with it all. Almost done with the Twilight series and I LUUUVVV it! It may be a little corny for some, but hey I didn't judge the Harry Potter Fans, so I say let me be. I even managed to see the movie, which of course was not as good as the book (my mind is slightly more creative), but needless to say I am anxiously awaiting the next movie (New Moon) which doesn't come out until November (GASP...will I make it???).

4. Illness - Our house has become a cesspool for germs, how, why I don't know...but god willing the worst is over. I mean seriously the kiddos are not in daycare and we haven't been venturing out to public places, but damn we have "caught" a lot. Between Jack with Croup and the stomach flu one week to Ross with Strep and the stomach flu the next...I am doing my share again to keep the health care system bustling.

5. Birthdays - Well there was Grandma's, Beer Daddy's, Johnny's, Phoebe's, Jesus (and yes many other's) and most recently the Big Boy's. It made me seriously consider a campaign to remind people that if you have sex, beware you may get pregnant and you just might have a baby around Christmas and frankly aren't we already busy enough this time of year? I am just saying a couple weeks in either direction would be helpful. :) Today we celebrated the Big Boy's birthday party at the Brunswick Zone XL which was filled with loud music, bowling, pizza, cake and chaos. It was perfect. Still reeling over the fact that my child is 5 and wondering if the years will ever slow down enough for me to catch my breath or at least not blink and miss something.
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Happy Birthday Big Boy...

2009-01-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

...hard to believe that it has been 5 years since I met this guy...

...and today, he is even more sweet and wonderful than the day I met him...

...and funny enough today seemed to be just as rough as the day he was born. Now mind you my labor and delivery were pretty "easy" all things considered but I had my fair share of vomiting and pain...and well so did Ross today. My poor guy rang in his 5th Birthday with vomiting, strep throat, and a shot in the log. Yeah his day went that well. Needless to say, he is doing much better (considering he hasn't kept anything down since Monday) and despite his sore leg he enjoyed a little birthday party with Grandma Jo, Grandpa, & Auntie J. The one difference between the day he was born and today is that instead of a squeal sneaking out of his mouth I heard this...

Ross: I don't like this house (cue whiny tone and tears).

Me: Why?

Ross: Because you tell me I can't do something and I want to.

Me: Well, I am the Mom (I always despised when my Mother used this).

Ross: This is the worst day ever.

...I guess it could be worse. You may wonder what kind of torture brought this conversation on and being the horrible Mom that I am, I told him he had to wait until his Dad was home to open presents. I know, someone call CPS...wonder what his 13th Birthday will sound like?

So to my Rossman, Punkin Buns, Buddy, Big Boy, Snuggle Bug...I hope you know how much your Daddy and I love you (to infiby and beyondddddd). Your precocious spirit and personality dazzle us on a daily basis and of course your snuggles and hugs melt our hearts. Happy 5th Birthday. We love you!

Ps. Happy 31st Anniversary to my Mom & Dad (I know, I rock...I mean really having a child on the day of their Anniversary, like what other present will ever top that...too bad I don't have siblings), I know you are both sicker than sick...you know what they say "in sickness and in health"...but want you to know your love continues to inspire me every year. We love you too!

Pss. Tomorrow (I hope...) Vino Mommy will get you up to speed on life as I know it.

Obsessed...

2008-12-31T06:57:00.000-08:00

So sorry to delay an enticing post to fuel your mind....however I am currently OBSESSED with the Twilight series...maybe obsession is too weak of word to describe this current phase. I wonder if this is what the Harry Potter fans went through? Is there a self help group I can attend??? Or can someone please come entertain Beer Daddy, he is not real thrilled with this new obsession and has become a little ornery.

I am pretty sure I set a new record for myself and read New Moon in 2 days and I am half way through Eclipse...however to not delay any further I will post tomorrow with tales of Christmas and some new changes to the blog...I bet you are on the edge of your seat with anticipation. Until then...

I heart...HATE snow!

2008-12-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

My commute today...

Left house at 6:10 AM

Arrived at work 7:43 AM

Bonus...I didn't bring my coffee with me for my ride in, yep my day is going that well. TGIF!

Ok, I am a little less pissed...

2008-12-16T15:36:00.000-08:00

...than last night. Seriously annoyed beyond belief. I am currently at the Indy Airport, returning home from my last trip of 2008 and OVERJOYED!!! I can't wait to be home and not have to pack a bag for at least a month.

So my post last night (which BTW...apparently doesn't reflect the real time as it was 11PM when I posted) talked about all that has transpired in the life of Vino Mommy last week. Frankly I can't recite it again, lets just put it this way...a lot happened, it's the freakin Holiday season, what do you expect. But like I said I am anxiously awaiting my last flight home for the year and that is HUGE. It has been quite the year for me, for Beer Daddy, and for the munchkins. They have definitely become accustomed to Mommy's travel schedule and like I said before there is no way I could have kept up this insane schedule with out my side kick/partner in crime...the Mr.

Speaking of the Mr tomorrow is his birthday and I am hoping to post a little something special for his big day...we'll see how exhausted I am when I get home....

"Deck the hols wif bour of ho-ry...

2008-12-15T19:05:00.000-08:00

fa-ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra"

OMG....I just spent 2 hours typing a post about last week and it is gone. PISSED OFF beyond belief! ARGH!!!>?!?@?!>@>?!@>?!@>

Sorry, but no more until tomorrow, too mad.

What the BEEP...

2008-12-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

...have I been up to? Seriously I am about to kick myself off of the "blog island"...but I can explain...really I can. So what has Vino Mommy been doing? T.R.A.V.E.L.I.N.G, yep in a nut shell I have been flying the friendly skies, almost done though, which makes me *squeal* with delight.

However I say we take a stroll down memory lane as to the events of late November/early December past...

Thanksgiving Weekend=Ambush Makeover

No joke, a couple bottles of wine and BOOM "hey I have an idea, lets pick out paint colors and paint your bedroom, your bathroom, and Jack's room" this of course leads to the next day where Stacy takes on the role of "House Project Hitler"...task master extraordinaire i.e. do what she says and no one gets hurt, but you know what it...it looks phenomenal and I can't thank her or Lance enough for all their hardwork, they are the bestest BFF's ever!

That pretty much encompasses most of that weekend. But the biggest event out of the weekend, was that my baby boy moved into a big boy bed! (Sniff...sniff) I need to take a picture because he is oh so lovable and adorable sleeping in his bed, but seriously can't believe how fast he is growing up. I am however completely ecstatic to have the nursery crap out of my house (i.e. crib, changing table, blah, blah)...which begs the question "are they done" and the answer is..."we'll get back to you on that..." aka " we are done, but not committed to being done".

After the exhausting Thanksgiving weekend, I of course jumped on a plane to Raleigh, which btw is quite nice...reminds me of the good ol' MN. Got home late Wednesday night and then Thursday Brian, myself, my Mom & Dad, Grandma, and my Aunt & Uncle went to Wicked and LOVED IT! God bless Grandma, I luuuvvv her to pieces, but did have to chuckle at intermission when she kept saying "I just don't get it, what's the point"...I laughed and then continued to enjoy my vino. The men...they just kept smiling and counting the minutes until it was over...I am pretty sure they wished they had stayed at Bellanotte for a few more after dinner cordials.

After work on Friday we picked up the munchkins and hopped in the "Minne Winnie" with Rob and the girls to fetch us some Venison. You see Brian moved into a new realm of Manhood the other weekend and is no longer a "Deer Virgin" so of course his prize was turned into, well food. So we drove down to Kasson to meet up with his Uncle Dan who so graciously had the deer "packaged" for us. The kids had fun dancing to the live band at Daniel's and then it was off to make the trek back home. Needless to say our journey gave me plenty of time to tutor Rob on his "tricked out" phone he got in SEPTEMBER, apparently email was a problem spot. You know we love you...

We began Saturday by torturing the children and taking them to see Santa for pictures. Ross made it quite clear to Santa that he wants a white Hotwheels race car and Jack wants a blue one. No exceptions. Damn, Santa got off easy this year. It's great that the child is sympathetic to the current economic times. :) After our journey to Diane's for pictures we got ready for the annual Jorissen Family Christmas Open House at my folks place. It is a tradition that has been going on for more years than I can remember with my Dad's cousins on my Grandpa's side of the family. It involves a lot of people, a lot of food, a lot of vino and a wee bit o music. This year my (follow me here) Dad's Cousin's Son (got that?) brought his guitar and not only played, but sang some fantastic tunes. I felt like we were having our own private Studio C performance.

Sunday started off by sleeping in...aka HEAVEN! The kiddos decided they needed a sleepover (or was it Mom and Dad???) at my parents house and so to not disappoint them we agreed. Brian and I got some much needed sleep as Jack has not been the most cooperative with the transition to his new bed, so yeah sleeping in until 10AM felt fantastic. From there we got ready to head out to another annual Christmas tradition, attending the TSO concert. However this year was even more special as we took Ross for the first time (well technically his 2nd, the first time he was about a month out from being born). He had a great time, loved the fireworks and laser light show, but somehow managed to fall asleep for a portion of it. I tell ya my kids, they can sleep anywhere!

Hopefully you made it through my diatribe and are still reading this. Which brings me to the present and of course that means I must be traveling somewhere...I am *hoping* there are no delays tomorrow morning due to the weather as I have a date with a plane to New York...until then stay warm and I'll be back soon...

Ps. Check out this freakin adorable school picture (yeah, I know I am the Mom, but whatever, this kid? ADORABLE!)

Oh my blog, how I have missed you...

2008-12-04T12:24:00.000-08:00

...I really have, there is soooo much floating around in this melon of mine, but alas it must wait...until then I implore you to head on over to my SIL's blog a.k.a. Catherine a.k.a. Charlie Alpha Tango...the girl, she slays me, her latest post too damn funny. Gotta love our little "Asian" Catmandu she's small, she's quiet, but give her a cocktail or a blog and BOOM goes the dynamite.

The Good/The Bad...

2008-11-26T14:17:00.000-08:00

...sitting in the new Indianapolis Airport enjoying the worlds smallest glass of vino at Vinea...so the bad news is frankly the amount is quite small, the good news, is that it is delectable vino... so who's complaining.

The airport is certainly busier than Monday night with many eager travelers waiting to head out. I am literally giddy at the thought of being home with my guys for so many days in a row. I know that sounds terribly, well sad, but I am half way through this traveling insanity and then I am officially grounded at home for about 4 weeks...I am sure Beerdaddy will be shoving me out of the house by then. :)

So other than that not too much else to report, did get a chance to try out Fogo de Chao today for lunch, if that isn't a South Beach dieters heaven I don't know what is. Can you say bring on the meat?

Last but not least to all who are reading this, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and take time to remember all the blessings in your life. I for one am certainly grateful for the 3 loves of my life who will be in arms in just 2 short hours, but also for my incredibly wonderful Parents, In Laws, Grandparents, Friends, Family, the home I live in, the job I have and that I want for nothing other than to be surrounded by those I love, what a great feeling. Happy Thanksgiving.

Love,

Livin' it Up...

2008-11-25T17:24:00.000-08:00

...what does this entail you may ask? Well, tonight I am donning my most comfortable outfit consisting of jeans, old MSU sweatshirt (perfectly worn, torn & loved) and my slippers. I am of course sipping on some delicious vino after filling up on scrumptious Chicken Tortilla Soup and capping it all off with a piece of apple pie. Yes this is the glamorous life that I lead...here in my familiar yet quiet hotel room. Livin it up.

But you know what is better...

(Just in case you are wondering, they are pretending to be cactus)
I just love my guys, more than anything.

Guess where Ross & Bampa went last night...

2008-11-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

...that's right, to a Wild Game! It was Ross's first time to a hockey game and he loved it! He is always turning on a hockey, football or baseball game at home and last night was pure excitement for my 4 year old (ok, almost 5 year old). I don't know who was more excited for their "special" night, Bampa or Ross. Needless to say after such a long day of playing they only made it through 2 periods, but they loved it none the less. Of course Bampa had to purchase some paraphernalia for the boy, so Ross now has a Wild hockey stick to add to his sports collection. Jack on the other hand was not real thrilled with being left behind, but I reassured him that when he no longer craps his pants he can go with too.

Off to relish the last day of the weekend with my boys...

"Man, I've gotta get out of this town...

2008-11-21T08:38:00.000-08:00

...and out of LA"

That's right I am back! Finally after 5 long grueling days of work and travel I am home. I officially walked through the door at 11:56 last night. The days were filled with learning and debate, the nights with "shop talk" and cocktails, each day making me a little more home sick than the last.

The good news is I have a husband who on the scale of amazing, is truly out of this world. This job, as wonderful and fulfilling as it may be is also taxing and trying on so many emotional levels and he is the one constant who never fails to support me and let me know that he and the boys are behind me 100%. It's funny but there are times when I wish he would just be "that guy", the who gets mad at me for leaving and putting the pressure on him to be the sole parent when I am gone...why I don't know, but he never does and I love him for everything he says and doesn't say.

So I am taking today to be with my guys before Brian heads out to do "manly things" (deer hunting) with is brother and uncle this weekend. I myself plan on snuggling, playing, cuddling and just hanging out with my boys, oh and a little bit of Christmas shopping until my next flight...Monday night.

So much to do...so little time...

2008-11-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

...I know I owe the 3 people who read my blog a post, but alas I am traveling yet again and am determined to spend it playing with the big boy who is healthy and snuggle the little boy who is sick...who knew I could be vomited on so many times without having myself actually vomit. The joys of being a parent.

So tonight or possibly tomorrow a post of monstrous proportions about what I have been up to, but now time to pack and head out to LA...

Depressing...

2008-11-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

...you know what is depressing? Working 10-14 hour days all week and oh yeah still being at work at 7:30PM on a Friday...what happened to TGIF?

...I did finally leave the office at 10:10, high five for another record this week of a 15 hour day. :(

Hello Mr President...

2008-11-04T20:13:00.000-08:00

...watching the coverage with intensity...looks like President Obama it is...definitely a moment I will not forget.

My motto for November...

2008-11-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

There will be no rest for the weary and this month will be no exception...but with enough coffee I will conquer all...I hope.

NaBloPoMo...

2008-11-02T06:32:00.000-08:00

...say what? No it is not a disease and I did not sneeze. It is National Blog Posting Month! So I am going to push myself to feverishly keep up with daily posts to my blog in honor of this monumental month...and I am not referring to the election. :)

Some thoughts of the week since it has been....say it ain't so....a week since I last posted? Bad girl! Ross got over me leaving and my trip went swell with the exception of my flight home where I was faced with not wanting to vomit during the entire flight. Why you ask? Let's just say the dude next to me had some bad ass B.O. going on and that combined with the person eating what smelled like an onion sandwich in front of me about did me in. GROSS.

I also am VERY excited to get my "braces" I use quotes, because they really are not braces per say...not the train track, metal mouth, rubber band, head gearesque kind...they are a new, adult friendly Invisalign "braces", well more like trays. So anyways went in Thursday morning to get my final impressions made and take a few "before" pictures and oh that's right sell my arms and legs to pay for these. But the end result will make Vino Mommy a very happy girl! They say I should have my first couple trays by the end of November and I can't wait!

After all of my dental fun, I headed on over to Ross's school to help out at his "Harvest Party"...basically their Halloween Party, but you know...anyways apparently my ever reality based child was not interested in wearing his costume (the kid is not a fan of make believe, dress up, etc...he apparently see's no point in such foolishness) so there I was with the ONLY child not wearing costume. My first thought is..."great, everyone is going to think I am some nut job parent who won't let my kid participate in Halloween and that is why we have to call it a Harvest Party now"....super. His teacher reassured me that this is not a big deal...ok. The kids had a great time and I was in charge of the golf game (thank god not arts and crafts) and all went well. My favorite though is my conversation with Ross as we left...

Me: Ross do you think you will want to wear your costume (that btw you begged for) on Halloween night?

Ross: Umm...

Me: Phoebe, Simone, Konnor, and Kyle are coming over to go trick or treating with you.

Ross: Yes! I want to wear my Spiderman costume and even my mask!!!

Me: That sounds like fun! (thinking why didn't you want to wear it today????!!!!)

Ross: Mom, it is going to be so fun!

Me: (I don't understand 4 year olds)

So Friday night we had a crew of people over for some trick or treating, chili and vino. The kids had a blast and now we are all in a candy induced coma...

The kids..

Mr Frog...Jack

Spiderman...Ross
Pumpkin Princess and Spiderman...Simone and Ross

Bat Girl...Phoebe

Chili Pepper...Kaiden
Alligator and Pirate...Konnor and Kyle

"Come fly with me...

2008-10-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

...lets fly, lets fly away..."

Yep it's that time again, time for me to catch my Monday flight to Indianapolis. Unfortunately my heart was just broken by the Big Boy and makes me wonder why I do this...

Me: I am going to miss you tomorrow, Mommy has to fly to her other office.

Ross: (Choking up w/tears in his eyes) I am going to miss you too Mommy.

Me: What's wrong sweetie, why are you crying?

Ross: Because I miss you when you are gone.

...*cue* my heart breaking...

That about did me in..seriously could my heart strings be tugged at any harder? The good news is moments later I was brought back to "normal" and the boys began to argue over some toy. Pheww...I was about to become a blubbering mess had that not happened. On another note I am not sure, but I think Jack just might have ate a "cherry" from the Hi Ho Cherry-o game...hmmm, wonder if it is hard to pass those?

Anyways, had a great weekend in Duluth visiting J. We stayed on Canal Park and enjoyed walks to Caribou (despite their lack of pumpkin spice lattes), checked out UMD, her dorm room, ate at a few restaurants and just chilled. Although I think Brian and J were the only ones who were not sick...so here's hoping they stay well. We did get a chance to see the USS Freedom come into the bay this morning which was very cool (thanks for the heads up Smitty). Check out the link to read more on the ship, pretty interesting.

Other than that I am sending a shout out to Catherine who is heading out on her first business trip tomorrow morning, good luck with the drive!

More tomorrow...

If misery loves company...

2008-10-23T19:53:00.000-07:00

...then come on over. I am S-I-C-K...the runny, raw, red nose, pretty much look like hell, kind of sick. I am trying to will myself to feel better as we have a fun weekend in Duluth planned to visit with J...hopefully I won't end up playing the part of the "party pooper". :(

I will try and muster the energy to post more tomorrow as I had THE MOST FUN EVER at a concert when I attended the NKOTB concert on Tuesday...oh the stories, the screaming, the dancing, the FUN! We had a blast!!!! So much to post about my run in with my teenage heart throbs...but for now a box of Kleenex and bed are calling my name. I will say that the Star Tribune review of the concert pretty much summed the concert up to a T. Enjoy!

BTW...my Aunt Robin doing better and was released from the hospital yesterday. She has quite the recovery process ahead of her, but is very lucky the scenario was not worse. We all learned a great lesson from this experience, ALWAYS, ALWAYS wear your helmet. Also thank you to everyone for all your kind thoughts and prayers for her speedy recovery.

What a weekend...

2008-10-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

...we experienced highs and lows and everything in between. We started off Friday night with a little pizza and Wii at my folks place...again my kid kicked my butt at bowling and tennis. Ross has definitely got game! :) Hopefully th sweat I built up playing helped counter the calories of the pizza and the vino.

Saturday morning we went to my Aunt and Uncle's studio for some fall family pictures....that was painful...ok maybe not that bad, but Jack was definitely not in the mood for the photo shoot at all. It took a lot of cookies, mini muffins and a promised trip to McDonald's to get him on board with getting his picture taken, but I think it was a success! I can't wait to see our proofs...bonus we brought Brian's guitar and each of the boys guitars for a little "jam" photo session as well.

After pictures I was exhausted and was in much need of a nap and Brian had a little fall cleaning bug he needed to work out. From their we had plans to attend a little bonfire par-tay with the kids.

We were in the middle of BBQing at the party when Brian walked into the house with a look that I hope to not see anytime soon. He said that my Uncle Bob (my Mom's brother) had just called and my Aunt Robin was in a 4 wheeling accident, she was being flown from Walker, MN to North Memorial Hospital and needed us to get there as he was heading down but it would be 3 hours before he could get there.

My heart dropped, knowing that they were flying her down was not a good sign. So with that we gathered the kids as quickly as we could and drove to the hospital. Frantically calling my Mom and Grandma as they are in San Diego and I needed to know if they knew anything. They didn't. I couldn't get a hold of my Dad either, so I called my cousin's to meet me there and called Jo to meet us at the hospital so she could take the boys home. When we arrived at the hospital we were told the helicopter was about 45 minutes out. The waiting was awful and once we heard it land, the wait became even worse. We just wanted to know something, anything about her condition.

Needless to say after what seemed like forever the nurse came out and took her Mom and Sister into a room to talk...that about did me in, all I could think was the worst. Thank god it was far from that, we were told that she suffered a severe head injury as she was not wearing a helmet, however her full body CT showed no permanent damage and things looked "good". We were able to go back in two's to see her in the ER stabilization area, she looked pretty good considering all she had been through. She was lucid but barely, she was intubated as she was having trouble breathing and had a neck brace on as well. Soon after we could see her, my uncle arrived with their kids and they moved her to the ICU for further observation. We stayed till about 1AM and once we knew things were looking "good" (again I use the term loosely) we headed out to get some sleep.

Today she was down graded from the ICU and they took her breathing tube out, she still is pretty out of it and has not been able to eat or get out of bed, but she has been able to move her legs, arms etc... Apparently she has no recollection about the accident or that we were there last night. The doctors and nurses all stated that she will have short term memory issues, but if that is the worse part she is VERY VERY LUCKY and we all are elated that this is the case. At this point we do not know when she is coming home, but hopefully soon.

I am so PROUD of their kiddos for being so brave and level headed enough to remain calm and do the right thing in regards to the accident, at 10 & 12 I am not sure I could have done what they did. We are very fortunate that she is going to be ok and this was a big wake up call to remember how quickly things can happen in life.

For now I am in need of a little less eventful evening with B and the boys...

Vino Wisdom...

2008-10-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

"Sometimes when I reflect back on all the wine I drink I feel shame. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the vineyards and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this wine, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, 'It is better that I drink this wine and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver." ~ Jack Handy

Hello Stinky Poo...

2008-10-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

...that would be my Jack's way of greeting his Bampa...I find it pretty freakin hilarious.

Not really sure what to post tonight, other than it has been wayyyyyy to long. The weekend was fun and busy (seems to be a theme for us). Stacy and the little Miss came to visit for the weekend, so Friday night we sort of laid low since Ross was a little under the weather. Then Saturday the big boy had his last soccer game and after that we were off to Emma Krumbees to pick pumpkins with the masses (good god there were a lot of people), finally we ended the day with a little BBQ at our house with the whole fam damnily...well most of them.

Catherine detailed Saturday night's events, feel free to cruise on over to her blog and read about what ensues when the Gadient clan gets together...

Sunday we all decided that we had not spent enough time together so we cruised on over to Rob and Dana's for heartburn inducing chili and football.

Other than that back to the grind this week with another sick munchkin...why must children spread germs between each other?

Here's a few pics of the kiddos from the weekend...

Cutest soccer player I have ever seen...

A medal and a cupcake, does it get any better?

I am bored with you people...

Mr Ham... I LUVVVVV this picture!

Jack doing his best not to look at the camera and doing so with great success...

I Heart Fall...

2008-10-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

...I really do. I luuuuvvv everything about it...pumpkins, apples, cider, mums, colorful foliage, cool weather, sweaters, pumpkin spice lattes, I could go on forever. So after Ross's preschool screening (which btw he did EXCELLENT at even though he was a little under the weather) we went to Pahls Market to pick up stuff for me to make my "fall display". I of course did this only because I had super Great Grandma with me to wrangle the munchkins and all of the "stuff". I think it turned out pretty cute, still needs a little something but it will work for now. Another item of note is we stopped to pick up some vino and some how Gma got the deal of the freakin century, no lie...I am not sure if she showed a little leg or what, but damn the woman's got skills! Luv ya Grandma. :)

Tomorrow will be another fun filled day of remodeling at my office, there are so many things I would like to post about this, but again I treasure my job especially these days...

Ross after his Kindergarten screening (I know the hair is out of control)...
My display (Great Gma let them pick their own painted pumpkins, Ross wanted the skull, oi)...

Hello, my name is Gwen Iffil...

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

…or at least you would have thought I was on Saturday night, more on that later…

We had our annual “NDSU Reunion” this past weekend at the McNab’s. We try to get together with most of our college friends and their families to eat, drink, and well be merry. On Saturday the wives were oh so gracious in letting (yes, I used the word let, my blog, my story) the men retreat without us and go golfing (or galfing as Ross says) while the we, the mothers, attended to the short people…ok so maybe we played outside, drank wine and played Wii with the kiddos (which btw Ross has MAD Wii skills, seriously we don’t even own one and the kid is pretty damn good).

Since the weather was so gorgeous out I decided to steal Stacy’s camera (which I luuuuuvvvv, hint, hint, honey) and try my best at capturing some pics of my boys in the fall foliage. And here is what I got...
Later that evening after our delicious turkey dinner that the women slaved over all day (no laughing) and put the kids to bed, the vino consumption ensued until we could no longer avoid the “elephant” in the room, i.e. the politics discussion. Why such a big deal, who knows really, I mean besides the fact that we all are opinionated, at the heart of the matter we all pretty much agree. So what we all once tiptoed around earlier in the day became a drunken debate in short order and that is when I assumed my role as “Gwen Iffil” moderator extraordinaire. Needless to say I thought our discussion although infused with wine and passion at times was pretty damn good and if nothing else I was so happy to be around “smart people” (all who were privy to this debate are rolling their eyes as they read…I apparently felt the need to tell everyone how proud I was that we are smart).

The next day I decided to tempt fate with the camera again, even though my vision was a little foggy and see if I could snap some of all the kids together…

Of course I have to throw in a few of Miss Chunker Cheeks in her Vikings paraphernalia…

It was an all round great weekend, with good friends, good times and great discussion…oh yeah and good vino.

Here I Go Again On My Own...

2008-10-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

...goin' down the only road I've ever known.... - Whitesnake, 1987

What does this mean you ask?

Well, again I promise to not be overly political in my blog, because Vino Mommy likes to live life La Vida Loca, BUT...after last night's "debate" (I am using the term loosely here) I am again sensing that I am heading down the same road I have traveled before which is...NOT voting for the most competent duo to take over as the leaders of our country but alas the lesser of two evils.

This saddens me, because I want to believe that there is a standout choice who encompasses the kind of candidate that will ignite the change so desperately needed, but at this point their speeches/debates/performances/agendas are dismal at best. Cheers to another great election.

Hump Day Musings...

2008-10-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

...nothing real important to post, but some thoughts.

I stole this picture from J's Blog, it made me ponder why my child insists on turning EVERYTHING (no I am not exaggerating) into a guitar. Seriously, some of his favorite "guitars" are fly swatters (we try to curtail this one as much as possible), rackets of any kind, hair brushes, spindles from Mawk & Catherine's deck, large spoons, baseball bats, hammers, drum sticks, toothbrushes and so much more. I am sure there are many of you who can think of a few others as well. It is simply ridiculous and adorable all in one. The Mr and I have agreed that we will need to eventually sound proof the garage as I see a rock band in our future.

The Infamous "Racket" Player....JackMy next picture is an example of brotherly love gone bad...NO calling CPS on me. Ross and Jack were goofing around and Ross ended up with a lovely lump on his head. They (the boys) can't stand to be away from each other, however when together they usually recreate a WWF match...

Here's hoping the rest of the week is a little less eventful...

Cravings and Homework...

2008-09-29T20:02:00.000-07:00

...first of all, NOT PREGNANT...not that I thought I was, but you would think it by my current top 3 favorites items to eat:

1. BLT's
2. Chicken Tortilla Soup
3. Apples w/Peanut Butter

Seriously obsessed with those 3!

...second, we had our 2nd homework assignment for Ross tonight. Tomorrow he is "Star of the Day", what does that mean for Mom and Dad....a poster board with pictures of things he likes to do and people important to him. Oi vey! Homework already, he's 4???!!! Needless to say I made a late night run to CVS to print out some pictures and the Mr is currently decorating said poster board...I hope we pass.

We Made It!

2008-09-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

...wasn't real sure we (i.e. the Mr and I) would make it to the weekend. No we are not having marital problems it is just that this week was so incredibly nuts for us that we literally had to catch our breath at night and a quick "hi" before we hit the pillow. BUT....we made it! We actually did a little high five because we were so happy. So in honor of our incredibly insane week we are in lazy weekend mode and LOVING it!

Today the Big Boy had soccer, then a late breakfast at Perkins and finally a long nap at home. I would say that thus far are weekend has been...spell it with me P-E-R-F-E-C-T! We did break our promise slightly to each other of not going anywhere this weekend as tonight we are heading over to the Gadient parents house to celebrate Rob's Birthday. But I think we'll survive. :)

Currently I am sitting in my sweats, contemplating if this is indeed inappropriate party wear for tonight's festivities. I guess for all involved me showering and new clothes is probably a good idea...now to muster the energy.

I decided to post a few pictures from our trip to the State Fair about a month ago (realizing that I hadn't)...needless to say that we again spent much time at the John Deere tent area as Ross may live in the "city" but is a farm lovin' boy at heart...

Gadients...yes Mark is that much of dork and yet she still married him...

On the Ferris Wheel...
Jack being oh so cute...
Brotherly love with a little John Deere...

Ross in pure heaven...

Feds Can You Bail Me Out????

2008-09-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

...seriously help a sister out. No, I don't need tax or mortgage assistance, but what I do need is a little monetary relief for the damn apples I bought last night. I am pretty sure I purchased THE MOST EXPENSIVE apples ever. Apparently I can't calculate pounds versus the number of apples in my basket and I spent $10 on 5 apples. Freakin ridiculous. I swear if even 1 single apple goes bad I am going to be pissed....no, freaking uber pissed.

I bet Eve didn't pay that much for her apple.

Still Alive and Kicking...

2008-09-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

...I made it...how I don't know, but I did. There are certain places I will never live, Florida is one of them. I am sure there are plenty of people out there who enjoy chewing their way through the humidity or thoroughly enjoy their daily "swas" but not moi. It was hot, humid, and sweaty!

BUT...fun as all hell! I am not sure where I am currently positioned on the liver transplant list, but I am hoping it is somewhere near the top, because 4 days with the "Softball Crew" has made Vino Mommy's liver hurt. :)

Not sure how many pictures I will be able to post as numerous bouts of debauchery ensued in the Florida, but again, damn it was fun.

I will try and write more later about the trip and some more musings from the life that is Gadient...

I'm in hell...

2008-09-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

...or Florida. We are currently at Disney's Wide World of Sports dying in the heat. Seriously tempted to call my boys and tell them that I love them...I am not sure I'll make it...if I do I'll write more later.

I Need to Post...

2008-09-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

....but you'll have to wait until tonight, until then, love , LOVE this picture of the Big Boy I found on my Mom's camera...

Me...Emotional, Not Really, But...

2008-09-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

...I feel like crying, like not hysterical, just emotional. But why? I am not a crier, I am the person who fills out those email surveys and when the question comes up that asks, "when was the last time you cried?'...my typical response is, "months maybe...I don't think I have the ability to cry...well at least not very easily anymore." But today, there is just something nagging at me and my thought is still why? My life is great, my husband is great, my kids are great, not pregnant and not that "time of the month"....so what? As much as 9/11 is such a momentous and tragic day that sparks endless emotions, it's not that either.

Maybe I am overly tired, maybe I miss my guys just that much more this time, who knows. But you ever have one of those days?

...ok, I am back and in a better mood of sorts, I took a break from writing and I just feel better...I know weird.

So back to what is going on in life that is Vino Mommy. We are in full swing of preschool, music class, swimming lessons, soccer, fall ball for Brian, and oh yeah, work and lots of it. I am currently in Indy for my monthly trip and can't wait to get home and love on my guys.

Throughout all this craziness we are still enjoying plenty of fun time and last weekend was our final sail of the season. The weather would not have been considered desirable for most people, but in the world of sailing it was pretty good. Unfortunately the swells were a little rough on Saturday night and Grandma (my Grandma) took a dive while climbing up top and ended up with a minor concussion and a pretty banged up body, not too mention the cut on her eye. So that was not so great, but because she is from the generation where they were built to be invincible, she was a trooper and made the best of the weekend. The boys had a great time as well and Ross is definitely getting into the whole gig of Sailing wanting to help Daddy and Bampa do all the big guy stuff on board.

Here a couple pics from the weekend...

School is Cool...

2008-09-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

...the Big Boy loves him some school and this year's first day was SOOOOOOO much better than last year. Let's take a stroll down memory lane shall we...last year was Ross's first year of preschool and on his first day he cried and cried and well that lead to one sad Mommy and Daddy...fortunately his awesome teacher Miss Mary called shortly after we left to let the worried Mom and Dad know that he quit crying within minutes of us leaving.

This year it was...adios Mom and Dad, I don't need you to hold my hand, I am pro, be off with you and I'll see you in awhile. Somewhat bittersweet as a big part of me was so proud of him and all of his big-boyness as to not be afraid of going to school and then the other part of me realizes how quick he is growing up. I know I have said it before, but if I could just slow time for just a little bit...just enough to make sure I don't blink and then see 18 years zoom by in an instant.

Here are some pics of the big day...

Waving White Flag...

2008-09-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

I give up...I apparently suck at the 30 in 30 game. But I am updating the blog from the middle of the Apostle Islands from a phone. Pretty freakin rad if you ask me (yes I just used the word rad, sweet). Many stories of adventure tomorrow.

Wake Me Up When November Ends...

2008-09-03T19:23:00.000-07:00

...seriously...no really, seriously, the speeches whether Democrat or Republican are just a bit too much. (Sorry Green Day, I had to change the lyrics slightly) I know that we pride people in being passionate about what they believe in but good god, I think my living room has about 5 feet of shit piling up already and we just hit September. Don't get me wrong I think change is good, no laughing, you ALL know we need change, but sometimes I wish people (i.e. candidates) could just be real and forget all the propaganda or pomp and circumstance and.....just...be......real.

Ok, enough of that, I stated long ago that this blog is not meant to feed your mind in a way that challenges you or would make you a more well rounded human being. Remember it's me, Vino Mommy, who thinks if we could all just sit around with a nice glass of Cab, all the World's problems could be solved...by about the 3rd or 4th bottle.

So I digress...had a thought tonight that was brought on by noticing a small brown object on the carpet and it goes a little something like this...

Jen Pre-Kids: "Hmmm, wonder what that is, probably some dirt or a leaf."

Jen Post-Kids: "Crap, a little piece of shit made it out of someone pants. Where's Brian?"

Conclusion: A small chocolate chip from a "muppin" was on the carpet.

What have I learned from this....everything that is brown and on television during the election season is deemed to be shit.

Must sign off as I need to watch Ms Palin's speech, I need to figure out who this mystery woman is and fill my house with crap....I mean knowledge.

Tired...

2008-09-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

...just plain ol' tired tonight. No sleep last night and long day at the Penitentiary, I mean office. I want to post something insightful, but so lacking in energy to come up with anything witty, poignant...wait who I am kidding, this blog provides no such nonsense.

I will however share some pics from the weekend and tomorrow will give the rundown of Ross's First Day of His Last Year of Preschool (how's that for a title).

The paparazzi is after me again...

If I had to guess he just said something really funny, like poopy butt...
Little Miss Chunker Cheeks... Jack in heaven sitting on Grant's bike...

Weekend Update...

2008-09-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

...another fantastic weekend at Grandma's, I am sure I gained at least 5 pounds from that woman's cooking. Damn her! I have quite a few pics to post from the weekend courtesy of the weekend's photo journalist (aka Stacy), but will need to wait until tomorrow as there is a flurry of activity tonight in the Gadient house as we prepare for the 1st Day of School (ok, I lied, I am just lazy).

Oh, an update on Jack's Presidential choice...it is still Barack Obama and he did say it in front of Grandma Lon and she is still upright....but barely. She is diligently working on training him to say John McCain.

Crap!

2008-08-31T06:51:00.001-07:00

So much for 30 in 30...I swore I posted yesterday, but apparently I didn't (could have been all the vino I downed at the Hanggi/Borek cabin) so trying to make up for it.

Maybe it was that I was distracted by the gorgeous weather at the Lake. What a great day of lounging and chilling....I did have a disappointing Rachel Ray moment last night as I received an awesome recipe for a pork tenderloin (V - from the Fab 5 gave to me) and in making my own rub I used a wee bit too much kosher salt and alas the tenderloin not as great as I had hoped. Major BUMMER! I guess I can cross signing up for Top Chef as one of my "To Do's" this year.

Looks like another fantastic day in the making....I'll let you know tomorrow, till then...

A Divide in The House...

2008-08-29T20:08:00.000-07:00

...as I was getting ready this morning Jack was lying in our bed, watching the news with Brian...then it happened, I was summoned by the Mr to come over as Jack had something to share with me...

Brian: Jack who are you going to vote for?

Jack: (in the sweetest little 2 year old voice) Barack Obama

Oh mercy! My baby has declared his choice for the Presidential election. Thank goodness Grandma Lon wasn't there she might have fell over....no worries Grandma he isn't sporting a button yet.

...of course later on as we were in line at "Donalds" (aka McDonalds), we asked Jack again who he was voting for and this time his answer was "Chinese"...go figure, maybe too much exposure to the Olympics.

Long Time, No Post...

2008-08-28T20:59:00.000-07:00

...no real reason just busy and like that is anything new. So I am challenging myself to a little "blogger contest", 30 posts in 30 days...can I do it, maybe not...but worth trying. I mean I do have so much dribble to spew forth on society. So let us begin with today's nonsense.

I meant to post some pictures from our "Gadient Weekend" at Gram's house. It was a BLAST! Now we were missing quite a few Gadient's (i.e. Rob/Dana/Phoebe/Simone, Ben/Tiff, Dave/Karen) for various reasons (softball, wedding, work, and thousands of miles away). However the remaining members of the clan did make it up and the weather was perfect, the cocktails delicious, and the food, well lets just say Grandma NEVER cooks a bad meal. So we spent the weekend pretty much just hanging on the boat, being terrorized on "Mable" (by Mr Fabulous & Grandma I might add) and drinking until Catherine made it known to the world that yes she is "A Swimmer".

This might just be one of my favorite moments of the weekend. Let me enlighten you, Catherine, Mark's wife (the youngest bro of the brood), appears to be the quiet, reserved, and sweet wife/sil/person in the family....BUT give her a vodka-lemonade and a few hours in the sun and BOOM goes the dynamite! Apparently her swimming capabilities are up to par with Michael Phelps (or at least that's what she tells us), she was freakin' hilarious and needless to say I already new this, but funny none the less. To be completely honest we all were a little "festive" by the end of the day, but it is so fun to see her in this light as her image is still one of sweetness, whereas I have made it known that I am "The Vino Mommy" and didn't get that name without having a few stellar moments of my own. So without further adieu here are some magical moments from the weekend.

Chick's dig me...

Party on the Mable...
Ummm....yeah....they are about to get tossed from the Mabester, poor inebriated souls...
"You know how you thought you people were funny this weekend...well I am done with you."
Any questions as to why we call Brian "The Hoff".....didn't think so.

My Ass Hurts...

2008-08-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

...I could really use one of these.

Why, you ask? Well the uber ambitious Mommy in me (this should always be a red flag)...decided to take the munchkins on a bike ride. Yep, me and my out of shape self pulled a trailer with approximately 70 pounds worth of munchies up and down the hills of "Farm Town". Oh....dear.......god....my ass hurts! So much for the ultra comfort seat I purchased, I prefer my other pain in the ass bike seat over that. I wonder if Erik's Bike Shop will take an impression of my bum and make me a pillow top seat.....a girl can dream right?

I feel like this....

2008-08-20T09:56:00.001-07:00

I am so damn tired...no sleep last night after a long, horrific day of travel the day before...I hate that I can't sleep when I travel. Argh!

I will be wandering over to CVS today to find me some sleep inducing meds so that I will be refreshed to take off on a 6 AM flight tomorrow. HA!

BTW...check out Catherine's blog....she is a swimmer and boy do I have pictures to prove it. LOL

I have arrived...

2008-08-19T06:30:00.000-07:00

...and tired beyond belief. Didn't get to the hotel until after 1AM, twelve hours of sitting in airports or flying has....completely........drained.........me.

To boot someone decided to pass out as we were landing in Indy, thanks lady for making me wait for the paramedics to take your butt off the plane. Sorry I have lost all sense of kindness at this point, I just want to sleep.

I hope the flight back on Thursday is a little less uneventful.....

Part 2 "Hot-lanta"...

2008-08-18T19:00:00.000-07:00

...yep Atlanta is still "Hot-lanta" it's been about a year since I have been here and it is still hot, even inside. I know, I am wimp, I am from the MN and I don't like to be hot. I am sitting in "Paschals La Carrousel" (a pretty fancy name for a chicken joint, BUT they do serve liquor, BONUS) in the Atlanta airport and the following are some musings from my travel thus far today...

Sitting in First Class rocks, ALWAYS! Thank you Miss Flight attendant for the short bread cookies and wine, made the painful delay much better.

Atlanta is a VERY busy airport, there are people everywhere, all the time.

People who sing while serving food=annoying (I know I like to sing at work, but I at least I acknowledge that I suck, this guy thinks he is freakin Marvin Gaye).

Overly blond hair on 20 somethings is not attractive at ALL...even if you are a size zero (seriously go eat a sandwich).

The chicken dinner I ate not bad, but still sucked....should I get Ben & Jerry's ice cream...oi I did already have the cookies....but....want....ice......cream!

Why do people take "doggy bags" for their leftovers at the airport...do they really think that their food will stay good while they travel to their next destination....ICK!

As annoyed as I am about my travel plans today, I will not turn into the "Super Dink" who is standing next to me at the ticket counter...Sir that behavior will not get you anywhere...guess what it didn't....tee hee.

I still have 2 more hours before my flight and I want to sleep now....bonus I am in First Class again, maybe there will be vino.

Lets hope I make it....

I HATE traveling....

2008-08-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

...I am currently sitting in said Airport in the MN, waiting for my delayed flight, knowing that I will be missing my connection in Atlanta and that I will have to wait 3 hours once I get there for my next flight....which will not get my into Indy until after midnight.

That is of course if I get there....I believe the agent said something like this...

Agent: You won't make your connection

Me: That sucks. When is the next flight out?

Agent: Much later, I think it is booked.

Me: I need to get to Indianapolis tonight.

Agent: Ok, I will book you on that flight. Would tomorrow work?

Me: Depends, when would I depart/arrive?

Agent: You would not arrive until 6PM tomorrow.

Me: I hate Air Tran, I need a drink.

To be continued...

11:02 Baby...

2008-08-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

...I am writing this post a few days behind, because well I have been busy, but I had hoped to post this on Tuesday as that was the Mr and I's 8 year Anniversary! The title of this post may perplex you and well it should since it has no meaning to anyone else but Brian and I...and frankly I like it that way.

Our wedding day...(wow we look young)

The night of our 8th Anniversary...

My thoughts on our 8 year mark (in case you are wondering we have been "together" 13 years) is what we have seen, done, experienced in these past years. I know I am shifting into uncharted territory on my blog aka sappy post, but I thought what the hell, the Mr is pretty wonderful and I like to shake things up.

Brian and I have seen each other "grow up" persay, I mean we did start dating at 16 & 17 and since we are now both 30, it is safe to say that we both have changed. We have done and seen so much together and of course most has been good, but that is not to say we haven't had our fair share of downs as well. Through it all the one constant has been each other and for me, although I'd love to say that Brian is not perfect, he is pretty damn close. Oh sure there are things that annoy me about him (never cleans a toilet, clips his nails over the bath tub...but who's keeping track) and lord knows I am not perfect (I beg to differ though) but honestly there is no single person I would rather have next to me on this wild ride of life...than him. He has always been my pillar, the one I have laughed with until I cried or cried until I laughed...my very best friend.

So babe, I say the first 8 years were a blast, but something tells me the rest are going to be even better. Happy Anniversary - 11:02

Speedos and Fashion Victims...

2008-08-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

...watching Michael Phelps set another world record and thinking "man, not only is that guy ripped, but he can pull off a speedo like its everybody's business," if you know what I mean.

Brian sitting next to me is bewildered at my ability to turn an Olympic sport into some kind of fantasy....but apparently he is willing to roll with it as he just grabbed his keys to make a run to Dick's Sporting Goods.

On that note, back to reality, Jack fell victim to a fashion crisis tonight. Have I not explained the rule of stripes to him yet? (and yes he is rolling old school with the yellow plastic California Raisens lunch box...it was Brians)

Other than that I really have nothing major to post, some random rants come to mind like I forgot to pay that stupid "parking ticket" (more than 12 inches from the curb) and now I get to add $5 to the damn cost AND to boot as I was driving home I noticed a chip in my windshield, the windshield I just replaced 2 months ago. Argh!!!!!

Before I sign off as I hear Brian returning from the store, a couple more pics of the uber cutie pie from this weekend...

Auntie Jen, I said no more pictures!

Tantrums, Fat Lips, & BBQ...

2008-08-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

...how'd you like that for a title?? It was a busy weekend at the Gadient household starting with Jack doing his best impression of a toddler going through his "terrible two's". Hmmm, makes me wonder what's in store for the rest of his second year. I love him to pieces but, but whoa talk about needing some vino this weekend...

Three peas in a pod...

Stacy and the princess came for a few days, hard to believe how much Miss Alison has changed the last few weeks. Still a little peanut, but the cutest chubbiest little cheeks, that are quite edible. We hung out on Friday night attempting to eat dinner before 10 PM while trying to get a 4 1/2 year old, 2 year old, and 10 week old down for bed. Did I say I wanted 3 kids? I lied.

So sweet...

Saturday we had my work picnic in Canada, it was really in Marine on the St Croix, but I am sure Canada was only a block away. Spent the first 30 minutes calming Jack down (angry from being woke up from his nap) and waiting to be asked to leave as the crying sort of kills the mood. But alas he stopped (for at least 5 minutes). Then after some grazing of the buffet and a little booze cruise it was off to Tiff's 30th Birthday Party...

Having a grand time eating and drinking at Tiff's party (after calming Jack down again, because he fell asleep on the way over and once again, evil parent=me woke him up) and then it happens. Stacy is doing her best to distract Ross as he is pleading for the hundredth time for me to get his swimsuit, was goofing around with him and then....his lip, met her knee. Boom, blood, crying, both of them. Ross crying because his tooth put a nice gouge in his lap, Stacy because she feels terrible. Ross is fine and just wants to go swimming, I have a shoulder covered in blood while telling Stacy it was an accident, no big deal. I think the blood stained shirt threw her off, making it difficult for her to believe me. But it really was an accident and those darn short people are pretty resilient.
Sunday proved to be a much quieter day of hanging out and then a little BBQ with my folks, Grandma, and my cousin Jennifer. Dinner was delicious and I have a picture to prove it. Yummy!

"I won't smile. Why, because I am 2."
A Mr Fabulous in the making...Mmmm, chicken, corn on the cob, vino...

Before and After.....

2008-08-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

The landscaping project is complete and despite the fact that we may have to survive on Ramen and use hand towels for diapers for the rest of the month, we are VERY happy with the end result! Big round of applause for Outdoor Concepts as they were very flexible with us (we changed the scope of the project more than a few times to say the least) and they were quick! Check it out...

Before...

After...

Love it!!!!!

Bueller, Bueller...Where are U?

2008-08-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

...I am here, I promise! Life has been crazy, hectic, insane...pretty much a usual week for me right?

Well lets start from the beginning, last week I left for Duluth with the munchkins to attend the MMGMA Conference. I worked during the day, while Jaime (my super SIL) and Jo (my super MIL) watched the monkeys. It was great because we stayed at a motel/hotel that had an outdoor pool and mega water park inside. So while I slaved away at work...no laughing...the boys swam, played, and were uber loved by their Auntie and Grandma.

On Friday, Jaime and Jo left for home and the boys and I snoozed in our hotel room until my Parents, Brian, my Grandma, and my cousins, Jennifer, Johnny, and Tori arrived at the hotel for the weekend. It was really perfect timing for me to be in Duluth with the kiddos as we had already planned over 6 months ago to be up there for the Tall Ships Festival. Watching the ships arrive on Thursday and sail in together while cannons were going off was cool as all hell, but the lines to see the damn things....not so cool...and when I say lines, I mean 5-6 hours in line to go on board and see them. Hmmmm, let me think 2 year old, 5 hours, yeah no thanks. So needless to say the Mister, the Big Boy, Mr Fabulous (aka my Dad), and Johnny left early Sunday morning to stand in line and it still took over 2 hours. Yuck!

Here are a few pics from the weekend...

Ross wearing his new official UMD sweatshirt in support of Auntie J's soon to be Alma mater...

Mr Jack...or Mr Mischievous....

Ross & Tori (or Towi as Jack likes to call her...aka our beautiful God Daughter)

Sipping a refreshing beverage by the pool...

So here we are Wednesday night and feels like forever since last weekend since I have been training since Monday at work and we are "knee deep" in our landscaping project...the crew should be done by Friday and I will post before and after pictures so you can see the transformation.

To be honest we may have to eat Ramen for the next few years to pay for the new retaining wall and landscaping...but I do have to say it looks pretty damn good! At least I can enjoy a little vino while admiring its beauty...even if my vino is made by some farm named Boones...

Oi vey...

2008-07-31T09:34:00.000-07:00

...I seem to have a serious problem, saying things that take on a whole new meaning when they come out of my mouth...I even had a board dedicated to these "comments" at Brian's apartment in college, apparently his roommates found them quite hysterical...

...and so it happened again, yesterday I was working as one of the "drink cart girls" at the Summer MMGMA Golf Event at the Black Bear Golf Course (fyi beautiful golf course btw) and we came up to a group of clients and I say...."Anyone lose their balls yet?"

Yep, I am that good.

The Lanscaping Project Begins...

2008-07-27T12:30:00.000-07:00

...and a poem to start us out.

There once was a plum tree in our front yard,
now it is gone,
and in our backyard.

The end.

More to come...

Where am I?

2008-07-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

...I have no idea what universe I am in right now as this is what drove past me last night in the big city of Indy....

..yes people that is a Chicken Limo....and they say the people in this town don't know how to party.

Vroom, vroom.....

2008-07-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

...that's right kids I am back in Indy. Life moves fast as do I and soon enough I will be back home with my boys!

Until then a little thought on last night....spent the evening in my hotel room with a glass of vino, a decent meal and watching my newest guilty pleasures...Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill...seriously, how old am I???? (No Brian I did not watch Tori and Dean, I save that for you and I). :)

Later...

Farm Living is the Life for Me...

2008-07-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

...or not, but hey it's fun once a year so I'll roll with it. This weekend was the annual "Wolter Family Picnic" at Betty & Larry's (Brian's Aunt & Uncle's pig farm). The weather was cooperative for the most part, the food fantastic as always (should have got a picture of how big the Beermeister was, freakin huge). Brian's one aunt makes the most DELICIOUS desserts, that I am positive I gained 10 pounds just from that (seriously the woman bakes a mean dessert).

The kids and I went on a "hayride" (well Larry pulled us on a flat bed wagon behind a 4 wheeler but you get the gist) and that's when we experienced the plentiful smells of raising pigs. The adults played many rounds of bean bag and the kids burned a lot of energy on this crazy fun blow up water slide (had I wore my suit and been 60 pounds lighter I would have gone). All in all a spectacular weekend. Here's a couple pics from the festivities...

Enjoying the water slide...
Sitting in the wheel of the John Deere tractor (Ross=Heaven)...
One happy kid...The Waltons...
The 5 and under Whipped Cream Pie Contest...Go Simone!

Where does the time go?

2008-07-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

Seriously can someone please tell me how we got from this....

Me the night before Jack was born...to this....my sweet boy, Jack's "birth" day, chillin' in the NICU...

to 2 years later, my sweet boy, who is no longer a baby, but a little boy...
I've always said I wish there was a way to warn parents how fast time will fly once you bring a child into your world, but you know what you still won't know until you get there. I love that my "baby" is my "spirited child" a.k.a. full of energy and love AND tests every limit possible. I love you Bubba Lou!

Last but certainly not least is my other sweet boy Rossman...I took this picture from Mark & Catherine's wedding proofs which you check out by going on her blog. This picture captures all of the sweet innocence of my boy, he is my cuddler and little lover who never fails to give you that winning smile or a quick "luv you Mommy" just when you need it...

You know the drill....

2008-07-15T19:58:00.000-07:00

...I am conducting my monthly training session and I am tired so no post. Too tired...want sleep...tomorrow more will come, until then a couple more pics from Saturday.

Buddies...

Birthday Boy...

Stop in the name of love...

You Say It's Your Birthday....

2008-07-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

...Happy Birthday to You...Jack! Much news on the Gadient front starting with Mr Jack's 2nd Birthday! It was a fantastic day with a lot of excitement (no, really there was quite a bit...just wait). It started out with me taking the day off to spend with the kids, which normally I am caught between being home with them because they are sick or something else that is distracting me from just being with them. BUT, not this time! Ross and I started the morning by singing Happy Birthday to Jack while eating chocolate chip "muppins" (as Jack calls them) and soon prepped for our big day of fun. I left the "Crackberry" at home and headed to the outdoor water park with the boys and had a BLAST! The weather was humid, but just right for sitting at the pool and we swam, went down the water slide and played for 3 hours, it was great! We were joined by Vanessa and her 2 munchkins Brandon and Melanie who just happen to be the same ages as Ross and Jack.

So the kids had a blast and the Mommies were able to catch up on life. I would say it was a successful trip and the pictures below are from when I pulled in the drive way...2 tired boys ready for a good nap (and so was their Mommy)...

After the fantastic time at the park, we napped and prepped for our mini birthday celebration. Jack loved every minute of us singing Happy Birthday to him...so much that I think we sang it at least 3 times....

After all of the excitement of cake...the craziest thing happened...let me set the mood. Crazy freakin' thunderstorm coming through, Stacy glued to the TV trying to channel her inner Sven Sundgaard, lightening everywhere and then it happens...our neighbors house gets hit by lightening, looks like fireworks went off and then the flames start. I think we were all in awe of what we saw and then instantly are yelling at Brian to call 911 because their roof was on fire. Nothing like calling the police while 10 people are telling you what to say. You're welcome honey for our help. Needless to say from all appearances out our kitchen window the rain smothered the flames and the fire department was there in no time. No injuries, but the roof has a big ol' tarp on it where it was hit. Crazy I tell you crazy!

Well that is it for tonight, I have much more to report on but I am tired and the post will definitely need a part 2.....

Can Someone Throw Me a Freakin' Bone????

2008-07-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

...or a ruler and camera? Freaking Parking Nazi Police Officers in Minneapolis gave me a ticket yesterday for "parking more than 12 inches from the curb". What the hell???!!!! I was trying to parallel park a mini van what do they expect. Argh! I was so not more than 12 inches, but whatever. All the tax payers of Hennepin County can rest assured I just lessened their tax burden by $24.

Hello, Ross...This is Al Gore....

2008-07-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

...yes, it is true I have a strange feeling that Ross may be having daily chats with Al Gore. Somehow my child has become uber aware of living "green" and hence our conversation begins....

Backdrop, my bathroom, washing face with washcloth, water running...Ross observing this..

Ross: Mom, you shouldn't waste water, don't waste water in any of the bathroom. Not the shower or the sink. There is a lot of water in the sink, it comes from the ocean in a tube and don't waste it.

Me: (Looking up)...Ok, I won't...Where did you learn this?

Ross: Don't waste water Mom. There is lots of water in the ocean.

Me: (Thinking, well why do I care then)...Ok Ross, Mommy won't. But where did you learn this?

Ross: I spanked your butt (running away laughing).

The end.

So there you are another random conversation between a 4 1/2 year old and his Mom....something tells me this may become a weekly blog item.....

Sunshine on My Shoulders...

2008-07-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

...makes me happy.

Ick...I can't believe I just quoted John Denver. Anyways, back from the long weekend and feel refreshed...well that might be going too far but I do feel good. We had a long weekend of fun & sun, good food, good friends & family, AND of course some good vino. It truly is amazing that we had an entire weekend of fantastic weather...for those not from the MN, it is quite the feat especially in the summer.

Ross and Jack thoroughly enjoyed being at "Grandma's Lake", they can't get enough of being outside and of course spoiled by their Great Grandma. It is such a great feeling to know my kiddos get to experience all the joy and memories that I experienced growing up and spending time at my Grandparent's....although it was always "Grandpa's Lake" when I was younger...I guess I'll let Grandma rule the roost now. We spent most of the weekend on the boat and at the beach. All the kids did great, even the tiniest bambinos, Alison and Matthew.

Also noteworthy of the weekend is that we had Shanna cut an inch off Jack's hair (not his first haircut) and the kid still has a ton, at least now he doesn't look like a frat boy who just finished his freshman year without a single haircut. He looks so much older with his shorter hair...makes it seem even more real that my baby is going to be 2 this Friday (sniff, sniff)...more to come tomorrow, but now my head is being called by my pillow.

Ready to hit the lake...

The princess and the stud...

Miss Beach Beauty....

Sleepy baby...just how I like them

Mom, I said no more pictures...

New haircut (smiling 'cause Mom said I could have a cookie)...

Malaysia You Say...

2008-07-02T19:00:00.000-07:00

...let me explain. I took the boys to "The Target" to pick up more random (and probably unnecessary) items. Of course I tell them no toys...but they can't resist taking a stroll down the toy aisle and I am in no mood to argue so what the hell lets check it out (I know, I am weak, but today...too tired). I know Ross is going to want a Hot Wheels car, he always does, thank god they are cheap. So he picks a "Mystery" Hot Wheels Brand car...basically you have no idea what you are going to get (hence mystery), the car is hidden behind black plastic and after opening his prize our conversation begins...

Ross: Mom, what is the name of my car?

Me: Ross it doesn't have a name, it's a mystery car.

Ross: No Mom, look on the back of the package, what is the name?

Me: Ross there is no name on the back, it's a mystery, you can call it whatever you want.

Ross: Hmm, must be made in Malaysia.

What the? Where does a 4 1/2 year old learn such things? I have no idea. Also noteworthy tonight, I was told again to give back my crown for "Mom of the Year" for not feeding my kids dinner until 9PM tonight (is anyone keeping track of how many times I have had to renounce my title), but I think it was justified...just having too much fun playing outside.....ahh Summer.

Mr Jack...

Ross acting like his Bampa...

Trekking to the neighbors yard to find ball that has found its way over...

Boys of Summer...

Going to the Chapel....

2008-06-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

...and Mark & Catherine got married...

It was a beautiful day, the couple was stunning, and the party was a blast. Guess what they had a lot of vino...for good measure. I have said it before and I will say it again we Gadient's throw a good party and Mark & Catherine's wedding definitely lived up to it! There are so many great pictures from the weekend that I could not possibly post them all. I will try and get my photo's uploaded tomorrow night and create a link so you can check them out. Beware, they get a little scary as the night progressed (that darn vino will catch up with you).

I will say that weddings do bring out the "love" in all couples attending and I definitely enjoyed my time with the Mr. It's hard to believe that we had our own wedding weekend almost 8 years ago, but you know what they say...times flies when you have kids, I mean having fun. Mark & Catherine are now blissfully married and enjoying their honeymoon and the rest of us are back home recouping. Only 12 months until the next big Gadient soiree....Ben & Tiffany's wedding, can't wait!

Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

The blushing Bride...

The happy Groom...The first dance...

Simone & Phoebe...

The Best In Laws ever...

Simone & Ross...

Jack aka Donald Trump & Ross...

Ben & Tiffany...
Me & The Mr at the rehersal dinner...

Jaime & her beau Dave...

The Mr and Rossman...

Riddle Me This....

2008-06-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

...why is "Virginia for Lovers"? I don't get it, I saw the bumper sticker on my way to work, I called the only person I know who I figured lived closest to Virginia and frankly after our discussion and a little Wikipedia, I still have know idea. Something to ponder....

Below is a little more Jack Johnson a sort of Jack Johnson Part Deux...in case any of you are wondering why Mark seems to be performing surgery in his pictures, it is because he somehow found the one shard of plastic in our mini, stepped on it and bled...a lot. Fortunately we had some new Mommies at the concert with us who happen to carry a little first aid kit. Thank goodness, no gangrenous foot for Mark on his wedding day.

Catherine (not the Mommy for those who are confused) & Matthew...
Surgical Resident Mark, prepping the wound, with a little Neosporin to boot...

Completing the surgery after a good beer...

Ross & Jaime...if there are any parental units reading this, no that is not her beer, it is Ben's and I just happened to capture the moment...she prefers vino blanco anyways...

Crazy times with Ross & Mark....

Next post...."Going to the Chapel"

I'm back!

2008-06-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

Please let me apologize to all my loyal readers (I know Lance said he has 2, I think I might be up to 5 people). I surely did not mean to have waited this long to post....but Oi Vey what a freakin' week! As the infamous ZZ Top song states..."I've been up, I've been down..."

So for starters last week's sailing trip was fantastic, the kids had a great time the weather was good, and of course we had a little vino for good measure. Only bad part was starting out so late on Wednesday due to a snafu at Brian's work, which lead to Jack SCREAMING his head off for about 40 minutes at the end of our 4 hour car ride, because he wanted milk. Unfortunately nothing was open, oh wait I mean there was nothing around, northern WI is a vast area of nothing. So he screamed until we reached Bayfield and prayed that my folks had bought milk and had it on board....did I forget to mention he screamed for 40 minutes which lead him to get so upset that he threw up on himself? Yeah, those of you who don't have children, beware.

So getting back to the trip it was great and below are some pics from the trip.

Bampa & Ross

The Mr & Ross
My Boys

We got home late on Saturday night so that we could be home for Jaime's Graduation Open House the next day...hence the beginning of the crazy week that we are living. For those who don't know who Jaime is, she is the Mr's little sister, the "baby" of the family...hard to believe she had just turned 5 when we met. After the Open House many of the Gadient siblings (again, for those who don't know, let me enlighten you...Brian=5 siblings, Jen=0 siblings...crazy I know, but how I do love the uber large family I married into) headed on over to Rivers Edge in Somerset, WI for an outdoor Jack Johnson concert. Jack put on an awesome concert as always and everyone had a great time. Got home around 12:30 AM Sunday night (aka Monday morning) for a little shut eye before I started training my new group of eager learners.

Jaime & Ben

Ross & Mark

Me & My Rossman

Jack Johnson lovin'

Sent the trainees home today, trying to recoup a little before the big wedding of Mark & Catherine this weekend. Phew....finally caught up and more to come tomorrow. Until then...

Update soon...

2008-06-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am long overdue for an update but as usual life is crazier than crazy since we have been back from sailing. A post with a bountiful amount of pictures will be posted tonight....

Sailing....

2008-06-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

...takes me away,

To where I've always heard it could be,

Just a dream and the wind to carry me,

And soon I will be free.

Ahh, Christopher Cross...love those lyrics and love sailing. I must say adios for a few days as we will be cruising the beautiful waters of the Apostle Islands. A perfect vacation in every way...no cell phones, no tv, no hustle and bustle. Just me the Mr, the kiddos, my folks and last but not least the open water.