Summertime ~ Depression?

It's summertime and normally you can find me reading in the evenings on my hammock.  Weeks ago the hammock stand we had for years, broke.
I started to search for new hammocks & stands but my husband told me to wait....they're too expensive.  One of the things I look forward to the most in the summer, I'm missing out on.  Before I know it the school schedule will be in full swing and the days will be shorter & cooler.  I guess my husband wants to wait to see if we can get a hammock on clearance near the end of summer....which is too late for me!

I haven't been reading as many books in comparison to other summers.
Currently I have about four reviews that I need to post, but just haven't had the time to sit down and write.  Also I just learned that the site I have been using for hosting my images on this blog is having issues, so I may need to deal with that issue soon.  Fun stuff.

 This has been the most stressful July in my entire life.  I don't think I can ever remember thinking of the month of July and stress in the same sentence!  There are many reasons for this, but the main ones are being a lending ear to someone with cancer and another friend who is leaving an abusive marriage, watching a 4 month old puppy for a week, some personal medical issues I won't go into here, bickering/friend issues with both my daughters and a few issues dealing with respect and time.   Summer has always been more of a relaxed time, never depressing or rushed, but yet here I am experiencing it.

Most of my life I have been the friend to go to who will just listen.
 I try not to give advice if it doesn't seem wanted or I don't know about the topic at hand.  I think I'm there for people because when I was growing up what I thought and felt didn't seem to matter.  I think this is why I was shy and just kept to myself after awhile.  It also gets difficult when the people you trust or love the most look at you differently and lose respect for you.  I've lost friends over the years who I trusted and confided in and then they majorly betrayed me.  It's difficult to bounce back from things like that and want to be able to let new people into your life again.  Guarded......that is probably the best word to describe me.  I definitely have downfalls with being too serious or hard on myself.  I was brought up as the oldest of three daughters, so I was made the example of.  It wasn't right or fair how strict my parents were with me, but I know that everything I deal with now is because of the high expectations place on me.  There's nothing I can do about it now, other than try to be the best person I can be.

Anyhow, summer is NOT supposed to be this serious, in-depth or depressing.
I've ALWAYS loved summer.  Not so much the miserably humid days or mosquitoes, but swimming, picnics, fireworks, friends, lots of sunshine, sitting on the patio, laying on the hammock, gardening, reading and a myriad of other summer memories from my childhood are what make me cherish summer days.

I'm just curious if anyone reading this has ever experienced a disappointing summer?  Can you remember the best summer you had and what made it the best?  I live in the Northeastern part of the United States and summer days are truly numbered.  Maybe that is why I cherish it so much because so much of the rest of the year is dreary.

What are you reading this summer?
Any recommendations?
Even though I don't have my hammock, I hope to get in a few books within the next month.  And I will definitely start working on writing the book reviews of the books I have read.

Thanks for reading & sorry if I depressed you!
I just wanetd to clear up with my readers why the book reviews
have been less and there haven't been many posts here.

Thank you for following my blog & stay tuned......

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Posted at 10:57 PM  |  by Elle

Returning & Update

Hello AATC friends!

It's been quite some time since I've blogged.

I have wonderful followers who look for my book reviews,

 send me sweet e-mails asking about my family and blog friends

who I follow and I've missed as well.

Although I'm not going into detail as to why I've been gone, 

I will say I needed some time away to regroup.  To figure out the direction of my blog and how I'm going to get where I want to go.

I haven't been reading much at all, which is a BIG part of my blog....book reviews.  I've been missing it and with summer upon us, I hope to get back into reading & reviewing again.

I've also decided to help an online friend with her business.

 This will help me to grow and earn money to expand my blog in the future.  I will be adding my friend as an author to my blog so she can be the voice of her business which will be located under her own section, but in turn she will compensate me for any customers she gains that are my followers.  I will also be helping her with some other virtual assistant tasks which will help me earn so I can create a bigger and better blog!  I'm looking forward to having another blogger on board with me to add to my site's content! 

As always, family comes first and everyone around here is definitely keeping busy, busy, busy!

My oldest daughter Em is now 13 years old and will be entering 8th grade....her last year of middle school!!!!  She's been busy this school year with singing in choirs and playing violin in orchestra.

Kaye is 9 years old and will be heading into 4th grade.

She's kept busy with Girl Scouts, friends birthday parties, 

school & field trips.

Jay has made me proud by quitting his addiction to cigarettes and continues adapting to a healthier lifestyle.

I have been busy being the taxi driver for my daughters, housekeeper for our home and accountant for the bills which hasn't left me with much 'me' time.  I would like to get back to exercising and eating healthier, reading more and getting things organized around my home.  There's a lot to be done and when I get to where I am going, it will feel so much better to have accomplished a healthier lifestyle, more organized home and acquired some free time to just be.  

Of course I'm excited to be back blogging and adding new and exciting things to my blog.  As always there are other places you can find me online.  Just scroll down  to the bottom of this post and look to the right of your screen.  All my social media icons are there and you can follow me on  whichever networks you're a part of.  Some social outlets I'm more involved with than others.  It's all  a work in progress and I'm grateful that you're along on this journey with me!

Thank You for being a loyal follower and 

I look forward to this new chapter ahead!!!

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Posted at 11:54 AM  |  by Elle

Book Review: 50 Things To Know To Downsize Your Life By Lisa Rusczyk

I received this book in exchange
 for an honest review from the author.

We're all looking for ways to live a simpler life.
Having less in our life is one way of making things easier.
The difficult part is culling the items we don't necessarily need.

In the book  '50 Things To Know To Downsize Your Life' Lisa Rusczyk
points us in the right direction.  She lists fifty things you can do to nudge yourself closer to downsizing and she does it logically by leading you from room to room in your home.  She begins in the bedroom, then the kitchen, closets, bathroom, and ultimately the kids rooms! 

Things I Have Been Doing

• Don't carry credit card debt
• store small toys in bay wipe containers
• 3 'see through' drawers (in my daughter's closets)
• Hanging shelves (in my daughter's closets)
• Shoe racks
• Don't have a guest room 

Things I Want To Do/Have Been Wanting To Do

• Digitize cookbooks or enter recipes into cooking software I own. This is a project.  One I've been avoiding for a long, long time.
• Kitchen cabinet reorganization.  Most of our kitchen cabinets are the way we want them since we had our kitchen remodeled 4 years ago.  But theres two cabinets that are a royal pain in the rear and I would love to have them organized properly.
• The silverware drawers.  Too much siverware in my opinion.  Not according to my husband though.
• Meal Planning.  Yes, another one of those things that needs to happen, but just hasn't.
• Jewelry organization.  This is going to happen for me real soon!  I bought some ice cube trays from the dollar store to organize sets of earrings and necklaces to put in the top drawer of my dresser.  Yay Me!

Things I'm Not Going To Do

• Owning one set of sheets per bed
• Owning two towels per person
• Shower Necessities  (we like our girly 'goop' s my hubby calls it)

About The Author (from Amazon.com)

Lisa Rusczyk is the creator of the popular blog Charlie The Cavalier and 50 Things to Know Books. Lisa is passionate about helping others in life. She also enjoys Cavalier King Charles Spaniels a breed that she have loved for years. Lisa is currently a stay-at-home Mom, but has been an instructional designer, software trainer, and technical writer in the past. She was recently featured on CNN's HLN for a fire pit project.

Lisa is a Doctoral student in Educational Leadership who happened to start writing her first book 50 Things to Know Before Having a Baby after her little girl was born. Her book sold over 1,000 copies in the first year on Amazon. Today, she has over 15 books and helps others self-publish. Further, she shares this information with the public via this blog, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, and recently on a local Pennsylvania television station. Lisa knows that like her, there are a lot of people who would like concise information on a topic in one digital location. Lisa is known for her simple and effective tips.

Please check out Lisa's other books here.

So now that I've read the book I feel like I need to get my butt in gear and do even more Spring cleaning than I thought was ahead of me! 

 It's nice to have a plan and it will feel even better once the tasks are complete!  Happy Simplifying everyone!

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Posted at 12:19 PM  |  by Elle

Weekend Festival & Busy Week Ahead

Here we are at the end of April 2014 already!

So far it hasn't seemed much like Spring here in Pennsylvania.

We've had a few sunny and warm days scattered throughout the month,

but mostly the weather has been windy, cool, damp and rainy 

seeming like Fall weather at times.  I'm ready to start planting a garden and working in my flower beds, but Mother Nature just won't give us a break!

Kaye and I braved the cool & cloudy weather this past Saturday

 to go to a local festival.  There were all sorts of crafts, face painting stations, demonstrations, performances by local elementary bands, choral groups and dance studios.  We left the house at 10:40am and didn't get home until 2:15pm.

Luckily everyone received a ticket for a free hot dog and water and there was also free popcorn and cotton candy (which Kaye went back for 2 more bags of the cotton candy because they were small.)  I was beat for the rest of Saturday.

Below are some photos from our day.

A local elementary school class made this as an example

 of what you should eat to keep your body healthy. 

Gotta have a clown at the event.

This is a video of 'making snow.' 

 I think it was kind of like those styrofoam packing particles.

The kids loved this demonstration!

Therapy dogs.

Moravian Historical Society making

 women's Moravian hats, known as haubes.

Kaye making a kite at another station

 while wearing her haube.

Irish Step Dancing

Sunday the girls went to Sunday School and I went to a parenting class that had been on hiatus for the Lenten season.  Each session is based on the book 'The Love Dare For Parents' by Stephen Kendrick.  If you've seen the movie 'Fireproof' with Kirk Cameron, you already know a bit about the first book called 'The Love Dare' by Alex Kendrick .  We talk about different things from the book in the class and I like learning from parents that are going through issues with their teens, as well as the seasoned parents who have children my age.  It's refreshing to get a different perspective on things.  When this parenting class ends I will be borrowing the book from my church, reading and reviewing it. 

 I have the first book, 'The Love Dare',

 which I will also be reading and reviewing at some point.

 

So after Sunday School we had to come home because the girls were invited to our neighbor boys birthdya party from Noon to 3pm.  So I decided that since I didn't get anything done around the house on Saturday, that I had to make some progress with cleaning because I wouldn't be home much this coming week.

Normally I don't do laundry or cleaning on a Sunday, but Tuesday through Thursday I volunteered to chaperone Em's band rehearsals.  Qualifying 5th graders from 16 elementary schools in our district will be bused from their elementary schools to a local middle school to practice for the All City Band Concert to be held at 7:30pm this Thursday evening.  I will be on the bus by 9:15am and not get home until noonish each of those days.  So knowing that I have a pretty full schedule ahead this week, I decided to catch up/get ahead with housework on Sunday.  Four loads of laundry, cleaned the bathrooms, straightened Kaye's room up, put away clothes, put all the activities and appointments that are upcoming for May on my calendar, vacuumed, dusted and then by dinnertime I was 

beat on  my feet!

Monday I had to make a trip to the pharmacy to get allergy medication and then on to Wal Mart to check for some odds & ends.  I wanted to get on the elliptical to jumpstart getting back into the habit of working out, but I was just so tired that I could not motivate myself to move.  Not to mention the headache I had.

After school Em and I had our allergy shot appointment and then onto the public library to return and borrow more books.  

So here we are at Tuesday.

I hope you all have a great day and

 that everyone has a wonderful week!

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Posted at 7:30 AM  |  by Elle

Catching You All Up On The Last Few Days

Sorry I've been MIA, but errands and housework have been at the top of the list the past few days. 

My plan for Thursday was to acquire a birthday gift for Kaye's friend's party this Sunday, find some non-candy items for my daughter's Easter baskets and maybe find some Spring clothes for myself.

I stopped in Bed, Bath & Beyond first because there was an item there I wanted to get for one of our bathroom cabinets.  I didn't realize that the cabinet organizer I saw in the paper was actually two parts (one being $14.99 and the other being $19.99.)  

The paper is a little crumpled up because I was ticked off that it wasn't a set!

I decided against it and went next door to Michael's Crafts. 

I found a gift for Kaye's friend relatively quickly and then proceeded to get ideas for Easter basket gifts.  I bought some T-shirts and iron-on transfers, rubber stamps, plastic lanyard lace,  2 coloring books and flip flops for Kaye, bandanas, peds and thick crafting cord for Em.

This is Kaye's non-candy Easter basket goodies.

Here is Em's Easter basket goodies.

Then it was on to Kmart to look for something for me to wear.  I wasn't impressed with the selections in the dressier clothes area or the Juniors section (I was looking for Em) and everything I tried on was too tight.  This is when I started to get disgusted with myself and my weight.  

After a long, cold, snowy winter where you are able to hide your body in sweatpants, sweatshirts, sweaters and over-sized clothing, suddenly it's Spring and slowly we are baring our legs, upper arms and there are less clothes to hide your imperfections.  And before you know it the dreaded swimsuit season will be upon us!

Its not like you don't know that you're overweight all winter long, it's just easier to hide.  Now I regret not getting my butt back on the elliptical and not watching what I eat more closely.  I have been down this road many, many, many, many times before.  You can read a more about the free site that I have used in the past here. 

I plan on getting more involved at this site again as well as the Facebook group 

Just so you're aware, I will be blogging more about my ups and downs with trying to get fit.  For me it's not just about shedding the pounds, but also about self-esteem, energy, eating healthier and sleeping better.  I hope to incorporate new snack ideas, recipes and general tips about how I am going to reach my goals. 

So after I got home from shopping I ate lunch and then had a terrible headache.  I picked the kids up from school, came home took medicine and laid down for an hour before I had to take my daughters to choir practice.  I headed to bed around 10pm because I was just exhausted.  Not sleeping well is catching up with me. 

Friday was a bit of a more optimistic day.  

My daughters performed in a Spring concert at their school and it was very uplifting.  I came home after the concert and began catching up with laundry.  It was a beautiful day, so I hung two loads and put one in the dryer.  I also changed out my closet from Winter to Spring clothes, which took me most of the afternoon.  

After looking at what I have I know I need more workout pants and tops and new sneakers.  I could use more dress clothes, but would rather not spend the money on them until I lose more weight.  I most likely won't get to shop next week because I plan on getting my haircut and colored (carmelized for the very 1st time!) on Monday.  Tuesday afternoon Em is competing in her school spelling bee, so I will be at school for that.  Thursday and Friday my kids get out of school early for parent/teacher conferences.  So maybe Wednesday I could squeak in a trip somewhere to shop.

Friday evening I did some more blog hopping through UBP14 since it was the last day for that blog hop.  I hope to check out some of the other lists I missed in the coming weeks.   I also need to check out this blog hop that I am a part of:

This blog hop currently has 198 blogs participating!

Today is Saturday and I actually got a lot more done than I expected, which makes me feel happy, happy, happy!

I did a load of laundry and hung it out, put away lots of clothes from yesterday,  paid bills, cleaned out two flower beds in our backyard and added some outside decor.  Kay went to Home Depot with Jay in the morning and he bought some potting soil and grass seed for the backyard.  We're supposed to get a lot of rain this week and it's supposed to get below freezing at night this week, so we're waiting to put the seed down.

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday and Kaye has her friend's birthday party in the afternoon.  So my plan is to RELAX!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and that all my new followers are enjoying my blog!

 

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Posted at 6:29 PM  |  by Elle

Yesterday Was Busy!!!!

Yesterday's List

• I did NOT make it to the store yesterday.  I WILL get there today!
• I DID post paperbacks that I have available on PaperbackSwap
• I did NOT do any housework other than dishes & packing lunches.
•   I did NOT get on the elliptical.
• I DID listen to four sessions at the online Mom Conference.

I had such a great time at the online Moms Conference yesterday!

My favorite were the tips for packing school lunches by Lisa Leake.

I've read Positive Parenting Solutions by Amy McCready in the past, but I enjoyed her webcast as well.

Looking forward to today's webcasts, although I'm not quite sure when I'm going to fit them into my day today.

  The ones I personally need to watch today are: 

Get and Stay Organized: A Fail-proof System by Jenny Layton

Knock Out a Month’s Worth of Dinners in One Day by Tricia Callahan

If you still want to register, do so here.

Last night I attended the Ultimate Blog Party's Google+ Hangout.
The pace that the hangout progressed was C-R-A-Z-Y!!!!
There was so much information jam-packed into an hour that I had to go back and look at the comments posted so I could catch up on tips and other bloggers mentioned.  So much great information it was unbelievable!
Thank You So Much To All Who Offered So Much Insight To Blogging!!!!

I haven't been able to make my rounds to many of the blog hops I'm involved in this week, but I plan on making more time as the week goes on.

Tonight is the UBP's Twitter Party!
I'm sure I won't be able to keep up again, but I'll be there with bells on!
 So much going on in the blogosphere this week!
Next week I will have to slow down a bit and actually catch up around my house!

Make it a great Tuesday Everyone!

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Posted at 6:00 AM  |  by Elle

Happy National No Housework Day!!!!!

My husband sent this to me this morning and said "Enjoy your day!"

Well gee, I should've planned what to do for a day when

 I don't have any housework to do

I am planning on watching informational videos & podcasts via the

 Mom Conference that I signed up for this week.

  You can still register here.

At 10am EST this morning the conference kicks off! 

 Just check the e-mail address you signed up with for the 

invitation link to the videos!

EarlyBirdMom.com created this GREAT Conference Planning worksheet for everyone.  You can download it from me here.

Here’s a little bit about each of today’s speakers!

Amy McCready positiveparentingsolutions.com Get Kids to Cooperate Without Yelling or Nagging Why kids really misbehave. How to get kids to cooperate without yelling or nagging. What to do about potty words, chores, homework and whining.

	Lisa Leake 100daysofrealfood.com Tips for Packing School Lunch & Removing Processed Food How she took her family OFF of processed food! Tips for moms who want to help their kids eat better. School Lunch: pack it, plan it, tips for making it easier.

As I said yesterday, I'm going to be inputting paperbacks I have available on 

	Stephanie Brandt Cornais mamaandbabylove.com Crock-Pot Freezer Meals: The Easiest Way to Get Dinner on the Table Find out the best crock-pots and products to use. Whip out a month’s worth of meals in ONLY a few hours. A successful kitchen system to get dinner on the table.

	Susan Peterson freshly-picked.com Start a Business with a Little Hustle and a Lot of Guts Balance being a mom-mom and a working-mom. Grow a community (her Instagram reached 64k in under 2 years!). Tips for moms who want to start an etsy shop or a business from home.

	Heather Anderson afmakeup.weebly.com A Makeup Routine for Date Night or Other Fun Occasions Makeup and tools to use, from a professional makeup artist. How to put on makeup for date night! The inexpensive products to spend your money on.

As I said yesterday, I'm going to be putting my available paperbacks on

 so click this icon to see what I have!

After that I need to hit the grocery store for some items we need.

I also have to get two birthday party gifts for two of Kaye's friends, but I'm not sure I'm in the mood for that today.

Maybe after I eat lunch I will go through some e-mails or do some 'computer organization' since I need to honor the No HouseWork holiday today.

Getting on the 'ol elliptical to start getting back into the exercise habit doesn't sound like a bad idea either.  I also have a book to read.  I ALWAYS have a book to read!  So as you can see, I have no problems coming up with other things to do when there isn't housework on the to-do list.

Whatever you decide to do on National No HouseWork Day, 

I hope it is something fun and relaxing for you!

Have a great day friends!

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Posted at 9:53 AM  |  by Elle

Busy Weekend Culling Clothes & Paperbacks!

 friends!

Sorry I've been MIA this weekend, but with Spring comes lots and lots of chores inside and outside.

Since it was cool, windy and rainy here on Saturday, I did 3 loads of laundry and then decided to cull Kaye's closet.
My youngest daughter Kaye is tiny for 7 years old.  There were still some 5T, 6 and 6x sizes in her closet.  Luckily I have a niece who will be turning 5 in August, so I always give my sister all of Kayes clothes when she outgrows them.

After taking all the outgrown sizes out of her closet and dresser, then I had to get the Spring/Summer size 7/8 clothes down from the attic.  Unfortunately Fall/Winter clothes were also in with some of the plastic tubs as well.

Kaye spent some time trying on shorts, skirts and some pants.  This kid is skinny, so some of the 7/8's don;t fit her yet!  I am lucky that I can use most of Em's clothes for Kaye.  There is almost too much because Kaye seems to stay in a size for a year or more!  Em on the other hand is in desperate need of clothes.  That's what happens when you're the oldest (as I am the oldest sister in my family too!)

After the excitement of 'trying on new clothes' wore off for Kaye, it was time for me to organize the drawers and her closet.  Some of the more summery items I put in bags on her shelf in the closet because they aren't needed yet.

So today, Sunday, I wasn't going to do a lot since I was tired from yesterday.  Well, today I ended up taking some boots out of my closet and getting some of my Spring clothes out of our storage room in the basement.  While I was in the storage room I decided to start straightening up a bit.  I noticed some paperback books that I need to go through and found A LOT of books I can post on Paperbackswap.  Although I read most of my books on my Kindle, my daughters still like 'real' books, so I try to trade what I have in paperback after reading them so I can get books for my daughters.  Be on the lookout for lots of books posted to my account this week here

If you don't have a PaperbackSwap account, you can create one here:

Also a reminder that the Moms Conference kicks off tomorrow!
I'm so looking forward to this event and hope to gain some insight on a variety of topics.  If you missed my post on it the other day here is the link:
Free Moms Conference


Have a great week everyone!  Hope to see you tomorrow!

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Posted at 10:09 PM  |  by Elle

Spring Shopping with My Daughters

I've been busy the past few days with all sorts of not-so-fun-stuff (again!)

This past Saturday I took Em and Kaye shopping because they have Spring school picture day this Friday.  They both need shoes and I wanted to get them a new Spring outfit.  Buying shoes for these two is a nightmare.  

They both have narrow feet.  Kaye is in between sizes.  Em is picky.  

Then add into the mix the availability and selection of shoes in the store.

We left our house at 11:30am Saturday morning and headed to Wal Mart.  Em got a pair of flip-flop slippers and a pair of cushioned flip-flops that she wanted last summer.  We've learned the hard way that if we don't buy ahead of time the shoes she likes will not be there come summer.  Kaye got a pair of canvas sneakers.  None of the sandals they tried on fit either of them properly.  Of course this is the type of shoe they both need the most!  We looked at the clothes but only ended up getting Kaye a skirt and then I headed over to get some drug items we needed (soap, chapstick, body wash,  etc.)

Our next stop (and last stop for the day) was a local small-sized mall.  We started at Payless Shoes.  Em ended up getting a cushy flip-flop type sandal she liked, but nothing Kaye tried on fit properly.  We were bummed.  We headed over to Children's Place where Kaye got a chance to give the Easter Bunny a big hug.  This made her day!  No shoes that fit nicely here either.   Last store was Boscov's.  We spent A LOT of time in the Junior's section looking for a dressy outfit for Em's school picture, which will also double as her outfit for her orchestra concert.  She also got some shorts and a few shirts.  We then headed over to the Girl's department where we pretty easily found a Spring outfit for Kaye's pictures and she will be able to wear the canvas sneakers with this outfit as well. 

By the time we left the mall it was around 4pm.   We were starving!!!!  I did have a container of pretzels and we all had brought water bottles with us.  I felt bad for Kaye because it was a long shopping trip and my daughters don't usually go for long shop trips with me.  Em is enjoying clothes shopping more and more as she gets older, so she wasn't as impatient in the stores.   Luckily Jay had made a crock-pot meal for dinner, so we ate right when we got home.  I was beat from shopping, but it was nice to spend the day with my daughters. I hope I can find sandals for my daughters before Easter arrives!

The kids were excited because there was a new Sam & Kat on Nickelodeon and then they were pumped to watch the Kids Choice Awards.  Jay and I decided this would be a great time to watch some TV together.  While the kids watched their shows in the living room we watched the latest Grey's Anatomy we Tivo'ed and then the movie Revolutionary Road with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett.  

Saturday night Em started with a scratchy throat.  I figured it was just her allergies since it was a rainy day and the temperature was rising.  Sunday her nose was runny and she was using a lot of tissues.  She had her regular allergy medication in the morning, but I also gave her Benadryl before bed.  Not enough.  She woke up at 3am complaining about her sore throat, stuffy/runny nose.  I put vapor rub on her and gave her water to drink.  Then I had a difficult time going back to sleep.

Sunday I did some catching up on housework (mostly laundry) and tried to take care of Em the best I could.  

Monday morning,  I call Em in absent for school and then call our allergist for an appointment.  I wasn't sure if this was a cold or allergies, so better to be safe than sorry.  Turns out it's viral.  Doctor sends us on our way with Advair for her asthma symptoms and Nasonex for her post nasal drip.   We also have a doctor's note for her to be excused from school until Wednesday.  Monday night she has a bit of a fever and I now have the humidifier in her room.

Last night she slept well.  Today she is doing better.  She may even return to school tomorrow.  I hope so because what I planned to accomplish the past few weeks has been weighing on my mind.

Em and Kaye both need to get their haircut before Friday and I am in desperate need of a hair make-over.  Mine will have to wait until next week though.

I am so glad I got out of the house on Friday and acquired some Easter basket loot.  I will share what I've bought as my WordLess Wednesday post tomorrow.

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Posted at 8:14 PM  |  by Elle

It's FRIDAY & I'm HAPPY after a HORRIBLE week!!!!!!!

and I couldn't be happier! 

Why is Elle so happy you may be wondering (or not)????

Well, this week has been a week from
 H-E-double-hockey-sticks to say the least!  

Last Saturday was going nicely with Em on a Girl Scout hiking field trip with her troop, Kaye playing outside with the neighbor boy and Jay and I doing some cleaning in the garage and outdoors.  Then Saturday night we FINALLY watched FROZEN!  

(Insert f-u-n-n-y video for parents here.....)

There was A LOT more singing than I anticipated and my husband turned to me and gave me an 'eye roll' at about 4 songs into the movie. 
 Yeah, he enjoyed it 
THAT much!!!!

Cut to Saturday night at say 2am.  I hear Em in the bathroom crying.  I get out of bed and see what is wrong and she tells me she threw up in her bed.

So I get her cleaned up and situated and then I do my vomit cleaning and laundry duties.  Kaye had this twice this season and this was Em's second bout with this nastiness.  For some reason the muck went through the waterproof mattress pad, so at 3am I'm online trying to get ideas of how to get the smell out of the mattress.  I found this forum:

Mommy Savers and went to work!  I sprayed and wiped that mattress with peroxide at least three times.  Then I sprinkled baking soda and let it set for about half an hour.  I brushed it up with the dustpan and brush and then sprinkled some more to set overnight as the air cleaner ran in her bedroom.  Em had to sleep out in the living room.  In the morning I was exhausted, but I got up and vacuumed up the baking soda, dried the dampness with the hairdryer and it DID NOT smell!  Thank You MommySavers forum!

I moved Em back into her room because I did not want anyone else getting sick.  Ahem.  I drank some water with a few teaspoons of ACV (apple cider vinegar) which I do a lot during the winter months and allergy season because it helps balance your PH levels and when your body is sick it is searching for that balance and also helps allergy sufferers.

I was bummed because my daughters and I were going to go shopping for a Spring outfit to wear for picture day and their Easter dresses. 

 Put that on hold!

Em stayed home from school Monday because she still hadn't really eaten anything, but as the day wore on she was better.

Flash forward to Monday night (really Tuesday at 3am.)  I have excruciating stomach pains and cannot get back to sleep.  I spend about 2.5 hours in the bathroom.  With the opposite problem of Em.  Yes, the Big D.  Uggggh.

The next morning I have to take the kids to school, so I take 2 plastic grocery bags in the car with me in case I throw up and I walk them across the parking lot and not all the way up to the school because I knew I just couldn't.  I come back home and get back in my pj's and get in bed.  Miserable day.  Prepare myself to pick them up from school and succeed.  Have aches and chills by the time evening comes.  Didn't much at all.  Day two and I am a slight bit better, but still not walking them up to school.  Take a shower and spend the day in the living room.  Eating soup and Gatorade because I am done with the ginger ale.  The aches, tiredness and nausea are finally subsiding.  Day three (yesterday) I walked the kids up to school, ate a bagel for breakfast and started in on ALL the housecleaning that has been piling up since Sunday.  

This is when it hits me how much I really do around the house.  

I've been a stay-at-home-mom since 2001 and sometimes I feel like I don't do enough.  But when I return from being ill (which by the way IS NOT often) I totally see how much I contribute to the family (unpaid as we all know.)

So on my return from my illness I did 3 loads of laundry, put laundry away from the weekend (as well as said 3 loads), changed bed sheets, ran the dishwasher, vacuumed, hung out the comforter to air out, started on Spring Cleaning lists and a non-food item shopping list.  I'm sure there are more things I did yesterday, but I was such a tornado around here I just kept going from one thing to the next.  It felt nice just to be moving around!

So here I am today, on a Friday morning taking the time to blog because it is a RAINY day and I do not want to be brought down after the week I have had.

I am looking forward to going shopping with Em and Kaye this weekend and have high hopes for finding outfits for school pictures, Easter dresses, sandals, and maybe even something for myself!

So whatever you are doing this last weekend of March 2014, be thankful that you are with family and/or friends and that you are healthy!!!!  

Whenever I am as sick as I just was, I always seem to enjoy my days just a little more than I normally would.

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Posted at 10:51 AM  |  by Elle