LMAO...

...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...

Where to Begin?

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?

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...

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

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...

...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!

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

...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.