#1MOMBLGR

There is one thing different about New Hampshire then I have seen in any other state I have been to: EVERYONE has personalized license plates.

At first it was so funny, the first weekend I was here my sister and I would try and see how many we could spot on the way to the grocery store.
Then it just became odd, really odd because you felt like you were the odd one when everyone has one but you.
I get it Granny5, sunkisstan, redsox1 and famof7, you want everyone to notice you.
Maybe I will get my own plates (as soon as one of us gets a job and has $1k to register our cars here), but what do I put on my plates?
Here are some of the ideas I have floating around:

GodHatesNH
urplatesRstupd
2muchsnow
NJmafia#1
Ucantdrive
#1NHblogger
flwmeontwitter
agrl&hercar



The whole thing makes my head hurt. Guess what? I don't care about your vanity plates anymore.
That is until I was behind a driving school car this morning.
Its license plate read: MYBAD

Now that, is funny.




Also please go over and read my other blog, I want to know if you post pictures of your kids online?

Things I Hated About Yesterday

Things I hated about yesterday in chronological order:

-Waking up

-Waking up to a crabby kid who cries and stomps his feet for me to hold him when I was just trying to put on my bra.
I have to put my bra on right away because I hate the feeling of gravity on my boobs. (or the effects of gravity on my boobs. Whatever.)

-L hit his head on the side of the pool during swim lessons and when I got over to him, his mouth was filled with blood. I finally found the source- a small but deep cut next to the corner of his mouth. Off to the urgent care center we went.

-Duh, I have no idea where the urgent care center is.

-My phone was dead when I went to call E. Had to borrow one from a stranger.

-My poor baby needed a stitch in his face and he was so scared. He was a trooper but nothing is worse than when your baby is scared and you just want to hold him, but instead a team of doctors and nurses have to hold him down because he is screaming.

-After all the drama and we fed ourselves, washed the kids and put them to bed, I noticed I had been wearing my shirt inside out- ALL DAY.
Of course this was the one day that I actually left the house and had been to the town pool, urgent care and grocery store.
All with my collared shirt inside out and it was tagless so everyone and their mothers could see my size.
Yes, of course I wore my hair up all day.

-After enduring weeks of bad reality TV, namely I'm a Celebrity Get me Out of Here, I forgot the finale was on last night because I was so disturbed by my inside-out shirt and missed it. All of that bad TV for nothing.

So yeah, Wednesday can suck it.

How We Got Here Part 2

You can read part one here.

So we had no choice- we had to move. Despite my bad attitude because I did not want to leave my family, my state, we moved.
Well, E moved in September living with his cousins until we found a place to rent and sold our house.
He traveled the 6+ hours each way to come home on weekends. The twins, the baby and I were left to fend for ourselves and keep the cats alive all while trying to keep the house clean for house showings.
It was not easy. In fact it was the hardest thing I have ever done. Easier than carrying 15+ pounds of babies in my body for 9 months.

On February 1st we all moved to NH. It was cold and there was more snow piled up on the lawn that I have ever seen. It was going to be a long year.

I am not like my husband, I do not adapt easy.
I like my "stuff" and I like knowing where I am going and I like visiting my friends or family when I want to.
I spend too much time rolling around the bed moaning about how much I miss Wegman's or my hairdresser. Like I told E a hundred times: I do not do rural.
But rural I am.

Things were good, we were unpacking, the kids were getting settled in their new house and school. E was busy at work.
Then they had less appointments.
Next their clients had hard times refinancing their homes, getting loans, things that E and his cousin make their money off of.
The commission checks slowed.

Now the financial crisis has hit home once again, only now we are stranded in a new town, in a new state with a lot less jobs then our old town, in our old state.

We have nothing to lose, because we lost it all already. We gambled and came up short again.
Now, what are we going to do?



To be continued.............

How We Got Here

It was Autumn, leaves were falling, the air was crisp and I was five months pregnant. I was excited to add to my little family of four. The twins were excited to get another sibling and all was falling into place. All except my husband E hating his job.
E was good at his job, great in fact. He was given many awards, voted to lead by his peers and had a decade of experience in his field. The problem was his boss.
She was new and wanted to fit in the big boys club and needed someone to mold into exactly what she thought the company wanted: another her.
She groomed E for the position, he was talked up, promised promotions, put on the fast track and it all came to a screeching halt when he did one big old no-no: He disagreed with her in a meeting in front of their team.

A cardinal sin. He was told he didn't have what it took to be on the fast track, he was treated like a new trainee instead of someone with as much experience as her, he was written up for petty, silly things. AS fast as she gave it, she took it all away.
We knew she was mad enough to strike hard and called his HR to tell them he knew she was setting him up to be fired.
The next week he was fired.

He had no recourse. We could sue, but didn't have the time or money for lawyers. He needed another job now.
"It shouldn't be a problem" I told him after all he received job offers on every interview he had been on in his life so far. With all he knows, he will move on to bigger and better.
Not so.

The economy really started the downward spiral, I was pregnant I needed insurance, nobody would hire me in this condition.
We scoured the Internet, made calls, put his resume on every site imaginable and nothing.
He went on 30 interviews and never got a second call back.
Talk about a blow to your self esteem.

I have never seen my husband so depressed, feeling so worthless.
We were on the verge of losing everything and we would have lost our house if millions of people were not in the same position as us and the banks were waist high in people who could not pay their mortgages. We consider ourselves lucky because we just promised the bank we would sell our house and they agreed not to foreclose-yet.

So we put the house up for sale, E decided to work with his cousin in NH and we would move there.
"How are we going to live on a commission based job?" I asked. "We have no safety net, nothing to get us by until you can learn the job and make money!" I would argue.
"We have no choice, it is the only offer I have had in 9 months" E told me.

We had no choice.

To be continued....................

Wordless Wednesday

I'm A Horrible Reality TV Viewer, Get Me Out Of Here

Thins I learned While Watching The Most Education Summer Show, I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here:

1) My summer show standards (say that 3 times fast) is at a all new low.

2) Lou Diamond Phillips' head is very oddly shaped. I can't stop looking at it.

3) I think Janice Dickinson looks good for her age, but would look better without so much work and the oil she must grease her face with 24/7. It is like the gel they use for your ultrasound. Unless Janice's face is pregnant, she should lay off the stuff.

4) I miss Sanjaya's hair. Hair made that man.

5) Really "celebrities"? You may as well call this show I'm nobody you have ever heard of until now but now I invade your every thought with the shape of my head and greasy face sucka Get me Out Of Here.
It would ring more true.

6) Torrie can kick your ass. I am scared of her.

7) Some shows that were made in Britain are better off staying in Britain.

Who Doesn't Love Lemonade?

There are very few celebrity moms that I like. Kelly Ripa is on top of my list. She seems real and warm and appears to be just like any of the moms that I woudl meet at a school function. Only with a better job! Plus she is a Jersey girl. Bonus points!

Kelly Ripa, has teamed up with Electrolux to kick off a virtual lemonade stand campaign to help support the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, a cause close to Kelly and to women everywhere.
This summer, exclusively at electroluxappliances.com, you can design and open your own virtual lemonade stands and even pick the flavors of lemonade you want to feature. For every lemonade stand opened at www.electroluxappliances.com, Electrolux will donate $1 to OCRF. In addition, you can help the cause even more by selling virtual glasses of lemonade to your friends and family; 100 percent of the proceeds will go to OCRF. And to help spread the word, Electrolux is giving away an elegant new French Door Refrigerator with Perfect Temp™ Drawer!
Who wouldn't want this awesome refrigerator?



Go and visit my stand and make your own! While you are there check out the recipes of the great lemonade drinks.

Summer Of Lobster

I hate it when I want to do something special for my family and it turns out to be a failure. Today I was trying to bake my family some extra goodness and I had strawberry bread on the brain. I made the executive decision to make it a strawberry bundt cake since I didn't have two loaf pans.
Everything was fine until I tipped my bundt onto the cooling rack and a tiny piece broke off. I put that piece right into my mouth and I realized what I had done wrong-I forgot to add the sugar.

I actually made a healthier treat then I was trying to and really, it isn't that bad without the sugar. My kids still ate it. E ate it.
I am trying not to think about making a cream cheese icing for it, because that would be so delish.
This was a minor baking fail, but I was disappointed in myself. Sometimes I realize how perfect I want to be and how I let myself down when I can't be or do everything perfectly.

I am trying not to be so hard on myself, and this is something I will consciously try to work on this year.
Also on my list of things to do this year:
-eat more lobster
-try and do something outside my comfort zone at least once a month
-take more pictures of the baby
-eat lots of lobster
-cut out soda (almost have done that)
-let the small stuff go when it comes to my kids
-try lobster with even MORE butter then I would usually use
-do more crafts with the kids
-lose 25 lbs
-did I mention lobster?


Yes, the last two things on my list are counterproductive. I am aware and trying to lose the weight on a all lobster diet.

I Will Never Win NIght Time Parenting Awards

I have written about how my boys are roosters many times.
They get up at the crack of dawn, they are hard to put to sleep and wake up in the night screaming "CUUUPPP OF MILLLLLK" or "WAAAAAAAAAH" way too often. I, like most every parent, hate the night time wails, I just can't deal. I am a terrible nighttime parent, E is much better than I am but I can handle putting the kids to bed a bit better that my husband.

Baby K sleeps much better these past few weeks since I have been using your tips. I did what I used to do with the twins, we have a routine, I stick with it and put him awake in his crib. He is usually a dream to put in for a nap and slightly harder at bedtime, but not terrible.
E and I deal with the "not terrible" much differently.

I have my routine and if he cries in his crib after I put him down, well then, I just let him cry. He usually won't last more than five minutes and he is asleep.

If K cries for more than 4 minutes and E is home, he marches right up there and does whatever he has to until the baby stops crying and goes to sleep.
He can't take the crying.

It is not like I adore hearing my baby cry either but I know that it is okay for him to cry a little bit and usually by bedtime, I am done with ALL of the kids and they need to stay in bed and I need a stiff drink.
This is why E is a dream night time parent because when anyone wakes in the night crying he is usually on top of it, while I lay perfectly still and pray/beg/make deals for the crying to end on its own.

No, it never works.

Who is the better night time parent in your house?

Mama Cub

I always tell E that he better make good money because our kids will never leave this house. I tell him that they will never be allowed to attend sleepovers and play dates and all of those have to happen at our house. So we better stock up on food, drinks and pool tables.
I say those things to E half kidding, half truthfully.

The truth is: I am scared to let my kids go to other people's homes because I fear everyone to be a pedophile.
You hear the stories on TV, the missing girls, the priests, the kids who fall through the cracks and nobody sees the warning signs. You watch Oprah.
You hear the neighbors, the parents say "I never thought he could be a molester... he was so nice...he was friendly and helpful...a family man and on and on.
Of course what you see on TV isn't a complete representation of the public and doesn't mean every child is being molested by their neighbor, but so many are, and just how many are never, ever reported?

R asked to go over the neighbor's house yesterday to play with the 9 year old girl who lives there. I have no problem with them playing in our backyards where I can see or hear them, but I don't want them in the house.
"What if they go in the house?" I asked E who rolled his eyes at my- his words- overreacting.
Am I overreacting? Isn't it my entire job to protect those children at all costs? If I fail them....well, I cannot even think about that because it is not an option. I will NOT fail them.


I have had talks about their body and how nobody has the right to touch them. I told them that if grownups ask them to keep secrets from their parents then those are bad people and they should and can tell us everything.


How much is too much? When a parent asked if R or L can come over for a play date, what do I say?
"I prefer if all play dates are at our home" sounds pretentious and "I am scared your husband or father is a molester" may be a bit too much.

I wonder if there is such a thing as too cautious or too protective and I am not just talking about helicopter parenting.

I want to know what it is other parents do.
Do you allow your kids to go over close friends homes that you trust? Do you educate your kids and let them go and be kids? What about school friends and neighbors that you don't know much about?

Highlight Yourself

There is something to be said about a quick visit fo the salon for a touch up of your highlights.
It rejuvenates you, makes you feel like a real person again, a person worth the touch ups to your roots.
I think the problem with Mothers is that we forget that sometimes, and are judgemental of the woman who do not forget it. The woman who schedule massages, pedicures, monthly facials and a blow out.
Maybe we are envious of the money they seem to have. Maybe we are envious of the time they spend on themselves. "Time that should be spent with their children" you tell yourself.

Yes, money and time are tight for many people, including myself.
Make yourself a priority, make yourself feel pretty, or sexy or happy. If you do, I swear your family will feel it too. You can't be a good mother without your "Me" time, your rejuvination.
So do without the Starbucks once a week or forgo the trip to Wendy's with your children and go get yourself a $10 manicure. Maybe splurge for the $5 chair massage afterwards.
You will thank me.

And it is SOO worth it.



* this picture taken with no makeup on and maybe I forgot to moisturize my skin today also. No judgements!

A Girl And Her Fashion

I have been noticing some American Apparel ads on some of the blogs I frequent and really I cannot believe what I am seeing. Perhaps I am out of the fashion loop because I am a mom and I do live in NH now where the state uniform seems to be a beard and overalls.
And don't get me started on the men.

Maybe I have been away from NYC for too long because this cannot be what is "in"


Just what every 2 year old needs, sparkly leggings! This is a must have for the playground set. Bonus! You will never lose your child in the park again, when the sun hits these bad boys You will be stricken blind and as dusk approaches you can get your child and go home.
Plus! With diapers there is no camel toe embarrassments. Hear that Celine Dion? Wear Depends.



Yes, please can I have the same seersucker gingham bloomers as my 13 month old?



I was just watching Girls Just Wanna Have Fun this morning and was wondering where Sarah Jessica Parker got her leotards! Also can be worn as Jennifer Beales for Halloween.



Stop! Hammer Time!
Really?
The print is bad enough but hammer pants?
Really?


So Kathy Ireland! If the metallic print wasn't enough I can just picture one of my kids unzipping me at the beach. So not right.
Unless you are servicing senators in your high priced hotel room. If that is the case buy 2!

I couldn't even check on the maternity clothes. Scary!
I may be getting old but I can't imagine buying anything from this company except plain white Ts (what a great band name!)

Ladybug Love

One fall day after we had just moved into our house in NJ, I decided to plop down on the couch while the twins were napping and watch TV. I don't remember the program that was on when I turned on the television but they were talking about loved ones that had passed away and how they were sending signs to them.
Lights on when they hadn't put them on.
Finding pennies where ever they go.
One story was about seeing ladybugs.

I thought that I would like a sign from my Dad, that he was okay or that he was with me. I hadn't had any and really, I know this is stupid, but I felt let down.

So I decided to test this theory. If my dad wanted to let me know he was with me, then I will see a ladybug right now I said to myself.

So, off I went into the family room because there were big windows there and if I was going to see a ladybug that was where I thought one would be. I looked on my plants, on the window, on the bar- and nothing.


Again I felt so let down. Why couldn't I get a sign?
I heard a car door slam and went to the front door to let E in, and as I did I saw 1 perfect ladybug on my exterior door. I put out my finger and let it crawl onto me. I couldn't believe it but surely it had to be a coincidence.
I opened up the screen door to let E in and I looked down.
The doormat that was there when we bought the house had ladybugs on it.
I had never noticed before.

The earrings I got for Christmas that year were ladybugs, the wind chime my step mother bought for my house has a ladybug on it.
They seem to pop up everywhere.


Now, every once in awhile I see ladybugs in strange places and strange times of the year, when you really don't see ladybugs. When we moved into this house the first thing I noticed was that there is always ladybugs in the master bathroom.
Now when my kids see them, they just say "Hi Grandpa! Mom, Grandpa is checking on you!" and I laugh because I love it.

Could it all just be a stupid coincidence? Sure.
Does the universe work in such a way, do people die and actually "go to heaven" where they send things to people they love and signs? Probably not.
I will never truly know the answer but I do know that I chose to believe I have some force out there and that it is looking out for me and maybe, just maybe, sending some love.

More Me Time!

We know how little time we have being moms. I know just to get something little done for myself like painting my nails or reading a book I have to jump through a bunch of hoops. Just getting a shower is a luxury!

Frigidaire, is unveiling 250 new appliances designed with specific time-saving features to give you more time for YOUR time.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that research shows that Moms are logging more overtime than most Americans. In fact, Frigidaire's recently released "Motherload Index" revealed that moms spend most of their waking lives - 200 hours each month - doing the activities they least enjoy rather than the things they love.

With their new line of appliances, Frigidaire is aiming to free up some newfound "me time" for Moms and they want to know what you'll do with it! By visiting Frigidaire.com, you can share the five things that you would do with an extra hour in your day for a chance to win an entire suite of the new time-saving Frigidaire appliances!

Go to Frigidaire and answer the question: How would you use an extra hour for a chance to win!

The Latest

Scroll down to the bottom of the last post to see my great reviews and giveaways I am having this month. They are SO fantastic, I wish I could give them to all of my readers.
Plus I have more coming soon, so bookmark my other blogs please!

Also, have you read about my BIG news? Yes, I am a big deal around here.

We Pump Fists Not Gas!

When I moved to NH the first thing I did was look up a Moms group. Luckily my husband's cousin's neighbor RUNS the moms group in our town. I have been faithfully attending for almost 3 months now and I love them.
I finally found some moms who are willing to be my friend and have actual conversations with me and invite me places. In NJ I lived an hour away from my friends so I didn't have that as an adult with children.

They are sweet and helpful and like my kids and I like theirs. It has been wonderful.

It makes the transition so much easier for me.
Although I still hate driving 8 miles to Target and 6 to the grocery store when I drove 1 mile for everythingyoucouldeverwantincludingactualrestaurantsthatarenotchainrestaurants.
THAT takes some getting used to.
Want a cake but forgot eggs at the store? You are shit out of luck because I am too lazy to drive 6 miles for eggs.

E still puts gas in my car because I refuse to learn.
Passive aggressive much?

Now I am off to go get ready for the Real Housewives of NY reunion and the premier of real Housewives of NJ, which my friends and I have been dying to see for months.
Don't even get me started on the stereotypes of NJ and all everyone thinks of NJ is mafia and Italians because that is all the media portrays.
Not that there isn't Mafia and Italians all over the joint, but hey, we have such kick ass restaurants a girl cannot complain.
So, watch tonight so we can discuss!
Jerzey Rulez!



Edit: I have so many great giveaways going on right now on my other blogs:
You can win a set of 5 books, perfect summer reading!

What about a luxe, organic 3 piece crib/toddler bedding set?

Lastly I have a great set of eco-friendly water bottles to give to 2 winners.

Shade Of Grey

When I was younger people always told me I looked like my Dad, my sister was the one who looked like my mom. As I got older I would tell her "Look! You gave me your bad eyesight or my asthsma is from your side of the family!"
She would always reply "maybe, but who gave you your beautiful blue eyes and thick hair, people would kill for your hair!"

And I would walk off. Mad. Because, people, she also gave me her premature grey hair!

Now that I am older, once in awhile I will catch myself in the mirror and see a flash of my mother, were I alone once stood.

My hands are my mother's hands.

My beef stroganoff is my moms.

My love for reading is something that my mom fostered in me.

How to change a diaper, care for a sick baby and french braid hair is all from my mom.
That alone gives her a pass for the grey hair.


Happy Mother's Day to all of you who are moms or have moms.


This post was written for all of the moms in the world and for Parent Bloggers Network and http://www.ebay.com/celebritymoms.

Its A Man's World And We Just Try To Defy Gravity In It

I know what my husband meant when he said those words that shall not be spoken again, that I wrote about in my last post. He was saying I have not had the burden of being the sole breadwinner in this family.
I get it.

I am sure it must be stressful because thinking about money and how little of it we have especially after the last year kicked our asses, is something I worry about every single day as well. You know what I say to that? Welcome to being a man.
Be glad that on top of that stress you don't have to add cramps, gynecological exams and trying to not spend your Kid's college tuition on pads, tampons, under eye concealer and bras.
I say it again, if you have any doubt it is a man's world just look at the price of a bra.
Then look at the price of a good bra because you need a good bra for support because after what being pregnant did to your body, you need every advantage you can get and gravity, she is a bitch.

If that isn't enough for you we can talk about sex and how much you want it..........





*edit* I know my header is no longer workign Jen from Trendy Mommy is helping me out with that.
In honor of Mothers day and all of you, my great readers, I have a mother's day giveway for you. Three winners will win a 5 book set of aweome books, perfect for summer reading! Go here to enter!

Husband Faux Pas #849578

Ladies, are you tired from a long week?
Do you need a large cocktail and a space to vent? Well, today is your lucky day.
I have had a long, stressful week myself, the pinnacle of which was when someone googled "grandma boobs" and got my blog.
The hell?

For the record, I do NOT have grandma boobs.
Yet.

Then yesterday during a frank email conversation with my husband he says......are you ready......please take a seat this is a doozie..he says "At least you haven't had to work the last six years".
Ahem.


Ooohhhhhh yeah, he did.
I can't believe I am so tired from this 6 year vacation, I wonder why?

My gift to you ladies, is let him have it, go on...I will make sure he reads every single one of them. Even though our communication halted when those words were uttered.

There's A Fungus Among Us

When we moved into this house it already had all the appliances.
Old appliances.
Original-to-the-house old.
My appliances were new(er) so when we sold our house I took off the appliances on the listing and we brought them with us.
Now the way the kitchen is set here is a little out of the norm and where the refrigerator is, there was not enough room for my larger refrigerator from N.J. and we need our big fridge because we eat a lot.

There was a built in desk in the kitchen that I knew I would never use. So, I asked E to off it and rip that sucker out because I just knew my fridge would look perfect there. Do I need to tell you how right I was about that decision?

So, now we live with a kitchen that has two refrigerators in it. We are going to keep the one that came with the house because it is fairly new, and again, we eat a lot of food, so we were going to eventually move in into the garage once we knew what to do with the hole it would leave in the kitchen.
I don't use this fridge very much except to store some extra frozen meat, but when I opened it today to see what I had in there, I noticed it: mold.
Mold in my freezer!
Who even knew that could happen? Aren't freezer supposed to be cold enough to not let mold grow? I am so disgusted I cannot tell you.
Now added to my to-do-list for today is scrubbing down a freezer.

And yes, you waited for days for this most riveting post.