Archive for the ‘Jennifer’ Category
What I Cannot Live Without…
…just happens to be the three things I never really liked! Can you believe I spend more time with my mop, broom and vaccuum than I do with my husband? Don’t believe me? Well, if I detailed my weekly schedule with you, you will see that I do about 18 loads of laundry a week and sweep my kitchen, dining room and living room at least 4 times a day (each room!)
I remember when I was a little girl, when my mom would use the expression “Well, the fairies aren’t going to come in the middle of the night and clean it!” with regards to how we needed to pick up after ourselves. I have tried this with my kids, and so far, it has not worked. I do not know how they always manage to bring a snack into the living room or find any little paper to tear up on the rug. And no matter what they eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner, under my dining room table is screaming “SWEEP ME!” I have been doing a ton of laundry every week since we had the last three babies. Now that it is winter time (more layers of clothing) and the boys are potty training at night (changing sheets every morning), I am doing more laundry than ever before.
The price of laundry detergent and dryer sheets is ridiculous. The store brand dryer sheets smell AWESOME and are a third of the price. Thank goodness for that! I also recently replaced my Swiffer Wetjet with a store brand device — do you believe this thing uses your own floor cleaner, the pads are washable (yes, this increases my laundry load BUT saves me a ton on disposable pads!) AND you don’t need batteries (it is a spray!) I LOVE this thing! Totally beats a mop and can run circles around the Wetjet.
With four kids, I just wish I could spend one day home and not have to clean up after someone all day long. Until that happens, I guess I might as well call my cleaning supplies my friends.
House Hunting… He’s ready, am I?
Three years ago, when our twins were only a few months old, Paul and I started house hunting. There was one house in Seaford, Long Island, that caught both of our eyes. This house was perfect for our family of five. It was empty, and it would require updating three bathrooms and the kitchen, but we still loved the house. At the time, the prices of houses were still astronomical, and shortly thereafter, I found out I was pregnant again. The house hunting stopped, as I was not ready to move away from my family, needing the help of my mother and family with four little kids, three of them babies.
We planned on resuming our hunt next year (the beginning of 2013). In the meantime, I still get daily multiple listing reports, and we found out that the Seaford house was still for sale, at a DRAMATIC decrease in price. Going into the New Year last weekend, we were certain that this was kismet. After all, this house has been coming up for three years. We had seen the decrease a year ago, and now another decrease. This house was now SUPER affordable and still available. We made an appointment with the listing agent for the 2nd of January and neither of us could sleep the night before. We could TASTE being Seaford homeowners!
The house was everything we remembered, and it still was what we were looking for. But renovating three bathrooms and a kitchen would add tens of thousands of dollars to the price of the home. When the agent first said to us that she’d send us listings that were similar and in the same price range, I told her that if this house didn’t work out for us, we’d hold off on the hunt til our original plan of next year. But when we got the listings later that afternoon and saw that the similar houses at the similar price (minus all the work!), we were completely intrigued.
Almost a week later, we have five appointments set up tomorrow to look at houses. Paul began the process of pre-approving us for a mortgage, and I should be thrilled. After the health and happiness of our family, all I want is our own home. So what am I afraid of?
The Missing Pieces
My husband and I stayed up really late on Christmas night to make sure we sorted all the old toys and arranged all the new toys so that our living room actually looked like a living room instead of a disaster. We were so proud of ourselves that not only could we actually see our floors, we had even LESS of a mess than BEFORE all the new toys! Here we are, not even two weeks later, and my nerves were shot with all of the missing pieces from the new toys! Yes, there are certain things that completely irk me and actually make me anxious… when my kids mix the colors of the PlayDoh and when puzzles, games and other toys are missing a piece or two (or 10!) I recognize that I have a problem, but of course there could be much worse problems to have, right?
I spent the majority of the day today doing laundry and tearing apart my living room (AGAIN!), sorting the toys, finding the missing pieces, sweeping (and sweeping and sweeping and sweeping… these kids always seem to find a snack and then find there way into the living room when I am on the floor or in a corner and can’t see them!) and rearranging. I am happy to report that all of the puzzles (except one… but I am on a mission to find that one piece) have all of their pieces and all of the games (except one… GRRR) are in their respective boxes with all the pieces intact.
I can be pretty certain that by the end of the week things will be a mess again. I try and try to keep things in order, I put things with small pieces in the closet, I have cases and containers for all blocks and such, but no matter what I do and how I teach my kids to clean up after themselves, they always manage to make a mess. My kids are wiseguys, too! I keep saying “Only one toy at a time. When you are done with a toy, put that away and you can take out a new toy” And of course I am always met with some comment like “But Mom! I am playing with these blocks and JoeJoe is playing with those cars!” or something like that. I have tried again and again to get them all to play with one toy at a time (all three boys) but so far, no luck. So with three toddlers each playing their own toy, we are bound to mix up some pieces!
Ugh. I guess I just have to deal with this until they are teenagers! LOL!
As the year comes to a close…
If you have been following along with me in my blogging history on Naptime Stories, you may remember that I am a Therapist. I have been working from home as a webmaster for a mothers’ social network, and I believe that it certainly fits well with my career path – as new moms and veteran moms always need an outlet to chat, share, vent and remember they are not alone in their mothering woes! Over the past few months, I have returned to more of a formal therapist role as a Behavioral Coach for AbilTo. And in working with clients daily, I have been reflecting on my own life and the year 2011.
First of all, I cannot believe how fast the year has flown. I do not know if that is because I am constantly busy with my kids and dealing with three toddlers and a tween girl, or just because I am getting older. But the one thing I have learned in working with my clients is to remember how truly blessed I really am.
My year started out with tears and grief, as my Grandfather passed away on January 3. I miss him dearly. In March, I was laid off from my full-time “at-home” job of running the NYC MomsLikeMe site. But then the year started looking up. I re-vamped my Mommy’s Links site to a social network, we took the kids to DisneyWorld, found my niche in my little corner of the World Wide Web, and returned to counseling with Abilto.
We’ve made a lot of progress at home as well. I spend many months at home, because after all, with three infants, unless my husband was home or my mom was around to help me, it was quite difficult to get around. Over the last few months, the twins started nursery school, and twice a week we all get into the car and get them to and from school. One of the twins is completely potty trained, which makes my life much easier. If only the other would follow suit! And the baby is chock full of sentences and animation. While life is completely chaotic, these last few months have been a lot of fun (well, when they are behaving!!!)
My husband and I took two weekend trips to the Poconos with friends, and we’re looking forward to our annual spring trip again. We don’t have as much time alone together these days, but we make the best of every moment.
So yes, I live a completely chaotic life, and I am sure it is only bound to get worse as these kids get older, but I am truly blessed. I have a wonderful family, we have our health, and I love my career choices. Thank you, 2011, for helping me remember these things. Bring on 2012!
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!
Toys, Toys EVERYWHERE!
With four kids and two crazy families, opening gifts on Christmas morning does not stop after the Santa Claus presents get opened. As a matter of fact, this Christmas, we started at 8am and didn’t finish until 2pm! After the Santa gifts, the kids opened gifts from Mommy and Daddy and each other. We do a big breakfast with the family, so as we were finishing up, my two aunts gave the kids their presents, then my parents came in with theirs, followed by my sister and her boyfriend, and my brother and his roommate. We stopped briefly for breakfast, and the kids returned to the tree to play with their new treasures. Already, I was unable to find my living room floor. Just as I was moving boxes and making a path to the back door, my mother-in-law and her husband come in with their bags, followed directly behind her by my father-in-law and his wife! By one-thirty in the afternoon, I was very frazzled!
On top of it all, I was hosting Christmas dinner! Luckily, my aunts helped with the artichokes and mushrooms and my mom had prepared the lasagna and meatballs. My mother-in-law brought the antipasto, so in between TRYING to find my children amongst the toys, cars, boxes, ripped papers and garbage bags, I was preparing veggies and meat and other parts to our meal. And every few minutes, I would glance into my living room and wonder WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE WE GOING TO HOUSE ALL THESE TOYS?
When all of our guests left, my husband and I decided we needed to do something, for if the kids woke up in the morning to this mess of toys, who knows where things would land and what would get misplaced or broken. So we emptied their toy boxes and sorted out the old toys. We opened all of the new toy boxes and he broke up the boxes for recycling. We did our best to put what we could in the toy boxes, the new books went into the book case, the new DVDs into the entertainment center along with the new video games. The board games we put in the closet, and all the new clothes went into a laundry basket to be brought up and put away.
Could you imagine my delight when I could see my living room floor again?
Christmas is now four days ago. This morning I was straightening up and found a shopping bag under the table with my Christmas Village on it (I had it covered with a long tablecloth and forgot I put the shopping bag under it) with more GIFTS for the kids! My mom had brought them last week from a family friend and I was holding them until Christmas morning, and then it slipped my mind. And don’t you know it – MORE TOYS!
We say it every year, and I know we will say it again next year – WE NEED TO STOP GOING OVERBOARD! But then again, kids are only kids for a short time, and these memories they will have their whole lives. I remember when my parents’ living room floor couldn’t be seen, and those were some of the best days of my childhood!
I hope you are all enjoying the (chaotic and sometimes messy!) holidays!
A holiday gift for you!
In this most wonderful time of the year, you may also be calling it the most chaotic time of the year! I know for our home, we are truly enjoying the family time, the sharing and caring, but we are also overwhelmed with the craziness that comes along with it! And also, at this time of year, I am remembering those I loved and lost, and trying to keep their memory alive (which is why we still do all the traditional holiday planning and activities, which is part of the craziness!)
On behalf of Shelton Interactive and Chicken Soup for the Soul, I’d like to share with you a free e-book download of Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Tough Times.
Chicken Soup for the Soul books are available in e-book format for your e-reader, smart phone or computer! This free e-book works on all e-readers — Kindle, Nook, iPad, Kobo, iPod Touch, iPhone, and others, and all generations of them. Don’t worry, though. If you don’t have an e-reader (or receive one this holiday season) you can still enjoy this free book on your computer.
The free download is included below. They are only available for a limited time.
To download from Amazon: http://amzn.to/shsW6O
To download from Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/tYS2cB
To download from Apple iTunes: http://bit.ly/tYiaoD
To download from Kobo Books: http://bit.ly/uMSyrX
Enjoy your book!
Wishing You Can Skip the Holidays
As today is Christmas Eve, I thought I would share this post that I created last Christmas… Although we are in the “most wonderful time of the year”, if you aren’t in the mood, this can be a very difficult time.
The holiday season is well in full swing! This is a wonderful time of year for many of us, although for some it can be the worst time of the year. As we celebrate this time of good tidings and cheer, my thoughts are with those families that may be having a tough time this holiday season, for whatever reason.
I am of Italian heritage. Years ago, after the death of a loved one, my relatives would spend months wearing only black, and the holidays would be fairly simple: no Christmas cards, no decorating, and no partying.
I remember when I was 13 years old, a cousin passed away. She was only 36 years old and left behind two young children. From that year on, my grandparents never decorated again for Christmas. Although they still gave us presents and my grandmother continued to cook dinner, it was never again the same for her.
Last September, just ten days after my two month old was born, my grandmother passed away. She had been sick for some time, and was eighty three years old. I had a hard time jump starting myself to prepare for the holidays last year, but I have four little children and cannot “skip” over Christmas just because I may not be in the Christmas spirit. And although my grandmother didn’t celebrate the holidays after she lost her niece, I am sure she would want me to make sure my children have a great Christmas. Once I started Christmas shopping and put up the tree, it was easier to get into the spirit. Although for me, I will never forget how Grandma always made Christmases special.
This past January 3, my grandfather passed away. The last time I saw him was on Christmas Eve. I miss him terribly. It has been almost a full year, but yet I still can’t help but think how the holidays will never be the same now that I have no grandparents left. And then I think about my kids and how they have their grandparents, and I know how important it is to celebrate with my family.
As parents, we often have to put aside our own feelings for the sake of our children. That might mean pushing ourselves to put a smile on our face when we really want to cry. That might mean sacrificing something we really want to get that special toy for our child. That might mean putting up a Christmas tree and sending out cards when you really want to skip right over December altogether.
I have always loved Christmastime. Even though Christmas this year will be hard without my grandparents, seeing the smiling faces of my four children on Christmas morning makes Christmas that much better. And as wonderful as it is, I am also reminded of another Christmas that was not so wonderful, and I did not have four beautiful children to brighten it up.
Before my oldest daughter was born, I lost two pregnancies. I found out I was pregnant in December of 2000, and I found out it was an ectopic pregnancy on December 27th. I had surgery on January 4th and came home January 5th to see the house still fully decorated for Christmas. I cried for hours while my family took the decorations down. I lost another baby only four months later, and once again was in a terrible place. Before getting pregnant with my daughter, I started to put all my thoughts down on paper. I wrote a poem and started to write about my bumpy road on becoming a mother. I now have four beautiful children, although I didn’t think I would ever get to that point. I became a Family Therapist to help other women and couples who were dealing with pregnancy loss and infertility, for I found there was not much available for me when I needed the help. After my daughter was born, I published “Becoming a Mother”. I have been truly blessed with my family. But every Christmas I am reminded of that awful season. Here is the poem I wrote:
Me…
Imagine for a second…
How a little girl dreams of becoming a mother –
A role in her life unlike any other.
Dreaming of the day she can hug her baby
“I’d like to have two or three, maybe.”
…that was me.
Imagine for a second…
A young woman is pregnant, and just found out.
Her feelings are mixed without a doubt.
She’s so thrilled yet a bit scared of the thought
Of the job ahead and everything to be taught.
…that was me.
Imagine for a second…
The pregnant woman has just been told
Of a poor diagnosis that is two-fold.
Her tube is bad, the baby has died,
How upset she is and how she has cried.
…that was me.
Imagine for a second…
Two months of torture, being so sad –
‘Could the remaining tube be just as bad?’
Then to her surprise, the wonderful fact –
She’s pregnant again, the tube is intact!
…that was me.
Imagine for a second…
The woman and her husband in weeks of pure bliss
‘We’re having a baby!” How great is this?
Looking forward to finally meeting the child growing inside.
The joy of ‘parents-to-be’ – just imagine their pride!
…that was me.
Imagine for a second…
Visiting the doctor, expecting a heartbeat.
‘The baby has died…’ – this child they’ll never meet.
A feeling of numbness, unable to speak,
Trying to stand, but feeling quite weak.
…that was me.
Imagine for a second…
The awful trip to the operating room…
It might as well have been her tomb.
For the second time, her child has died.
For the second time, they’re taking the child inside.
…that was me.
Imagine for a second…
Her husband wishes she’d return to herself,
As he looks at all the angels she’s collecting on a shelf.
Becoming a mother has taken over her life –
‘Is our family destined to be just husband and wife?’
…that was me.
Imagine for a second…
That little girl dreaming is now a wife
And she still has the dream she’s had all her life.
She would have never thought that what would be true
Is that here on earth she has no children, but Heaven has two.
She knows that God will one day bless her with children she’ll bear,
She holds onto that dream, and holds onto that prayer.
…this IS me.
In memory of two little souls I’ll never forget.
You’re looking down at Mommy, I bet.
I wish you all Happy Holidays. Hoping you are in the holiday spirit, if not for yourself, for your children.
I originally posted this on Naptime Stories on December 20th, 2009. With the holidays of 2011 quickly approaching, I thought I would share.
Moms can have fun too!
There is definitely something to be said about peers. And just because we are grown-ups and have families and jobs and bills and big responsibilities, doesn’t mean we can’t get together with the girls for a night of laughs and fun! And guess what? It doesn’t have to be expensive!
Hosting an ABBA Dance Party was something I could NOT pass up! After all, anyone who really knows me knows that Abba carries the soundtrack to my life! When my oldest child was merely months old, we used to dance around my dining room table blasting “Dancing Queen”. She loved it so much, that by the time she was a year and a half, she knew and would sing every word by heart. She sang (with the DJ’s microphone) at cousins’ weddings, my wedding to her stepfather, her Communion…) in front of crowds and always jammed the dance floor. Juliana is my “Dancing Queen”!
Then, when I met my now-husband Paul, one of our very first dates was to see “Mamma Mia” on Broadway. I was still unsure of where the relationship was going because of my confusion with my recent divorce, but by the end of the show, after dancing, reflecting, laughing, crying, I realized that Paul was the man for me. He knew it too. At our wedding, as we walked back down the aisle as husband and wife, we walked out to Abba’s “I DO”. And after being on bedrest with my twins pregnancy for 2 months, Mamma Mia, the movie, came out just 3 days before my scheduled C-Section, the same day I was taken off of bedrest. So guess where I went that night? Yep! Paul, Juliana, and a VERY pregnant me were dancing in the aisles! Now, all four of my kids can recite the Mamma Mia movie by heart, and they know ALL Abba songs!
Five ladies came to my house last Friday night from Mommy’s Links for my ABBA YOU CAN DANCE HOUSE PARTY. This UbiSoft game for Wii is just AWESOME! And so much fun with a crowd (or by yourself, if you prefer to dance behind closed doors!) All of us moms got a great workout, sang to our heart’s content (songs we all know and love) and really enjoyed the laughs and fun we had all night! And what’s even better is that the kids love it too!
If you love Abba, this is an absolute MUST have item on your Christmas list! See below for the link on where to get it (and it ships free with TWO DAY delivery!) 
I apologize for the blurry photos! With our strobe light (complements of Ubisoft), the dim lighting and the fast moving dancing moms, it couldn’t be helped! And as for our videographer, I think 10 year old Andy did a pretty good job!
Please see here for the original post and the disclaimer.
What Do You Celebrate?
We celebrate Christmas. We are Roman Catholic Christians, and although Easter is our religion’s biggest holiday, as you know, Christmas gets the most attention every year! We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior.
For our family, the Christmas season begins on Thanksgiving. We watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV (one day when the kids are a little older we hope to go in person. As a New Yorker, I cannot believe I have yet to go!), and when the parade is over, we officially say it is Christmas! I start my Christmas shopping early the next morning (sometimes late Thanksgiving night, IF we are not too stuffed and tired from dinner!) and we decorate our home inside and out over Thanksgiving weekend.
We send out Christmas cards, at least 30 cards to family and friends. We decorate Christmas cookies, baking butter cookies, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, walnut balls and a variety of other cookies depending on the year (and our time!) My husband and I shop and wrap together (except each other’s gifts, of course, although sometimes we know what the other has gotten us in advance!), and we bake as a family. We attend various parties and Christmas concerts the kids put on at school.
On Christmas Eve, we attend Mass at 5pm, where the children put on The Living Nativity. For the second year in a row, my daughter is in the presentation. She is a signing angel. After Mass, we enjoy a fish dinner, where we have at least 7 different fishes. I am a seafood fan, so I really enjoy Christmas Eve. We celebrated Christmas Eve with my in-laws for many years, but since Juliana is in The Living Nativity near our house, we have been celebrating with my family. After dinner, it’s home and bedtime for the kids, and Santa and Mrs. Claus get ready for the morning! We take out all the kids’ presents, put some together, “eat” the cookies and “drink” the milk (usually putting it back as we are both too stuffed to actually eat anything else!) and prepare whatever we can in advance for dinner the next day. We always host Christmas dinner at our house, so after opening presents and breakfast, it is back into the kitchen!
Christmas morning at our house is extremely chaotic and crazy, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. First, the kids get Santa’s gifts, then open the gifts from us (and each other), and usually by then, by parents and siblings have arrived with a ton more presents. My house usually looks like Toys R Us exploded that morning, and I spend the day worrying where in the world I am going to put all these new toys! Paul and I go make everyone breakfast, and we enjoy breakfast as family. Everyone goes home to shower and dress, and we finish preparing dinner. Just as we’re showered, our guests start to arrive. This year, we are hosting my parents, my siblings and their significant others, my mother-in-law and her husband, my father-in-law and his wife, two of my aunts and us. We will be 18.
After stuffing ourselves silly for the second day in a row, everyone goes home, and Paul and I usually crash on the couch. It has been a long few days! I try to reflect on the day and I remember again the real reason for the season, celebrating the birth of Jesus. I am thankful for another wonderful holiday.
WHAT DO YOU CELEBRATE?
Twas Three Weeks Before Christmas… A True Story
I can laugh about it now… so I thought I would share!
Twas three weeks before Christmas, sleeping boys and girl
Not a creature was stirring except for a squirrel!
The house was all decorated, our village and tree
We were ready to sit down and watch the TV.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of electronic toys danced in their heads.
Paul on his chair after we cleaned up our mess
Were getting ready to watch The Good Wife on CBS.
When on top of the couch i saw something stir under the slipcover.
I sprang three feet in the air and ran fast for cover.
Off his chair Paul sprang and called for a hammer.
Not ideal if course, but I was all for the slammer.
At first we thought we might have a rat in the house.
There is nothing that grosses me more than a rat or a mouse!
When what to our wandering eyes should appear
Out of our couch a squirrel, oh dear!
My brother hit it twice with a broom to get it out the door
Instead it went back into the couch once more!
Paul and my Dad got the couch into the yard
Getting the squirrel out of the couch was quite hard!
Now scrubbing! Now cleaning! Now bleaching the house! On wiping! On washing! At least it was no rat or mouse!
To the Christmas tree I went, I noticed a mess and ornaments on the floor
Our Christmas village too! My glass snowman was no more!
We got the sucker out, we cleaned up our home
And it ran away unharmed, back in the street to roam!
Not quite the night we planned, and certainly a pain in the neck,
Every word of it is true, and yes, I was a wreck!
But I have to exclaim, because it is just and right,
“Happy Christmas Mr. Squirrel, and to all a good-night!”
This is a true story. This happened to us on Sunday night!
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