Pampers...Puppies...or Possessions- The Great Baby Debate!

This whole single versus multiple children has really gotten me thinking...

1) From my own point of view from being a child, I can't even imagine not growing up with my brother. We are 4 years apart and fought like cats and dogs but I would have been terribly lonely without him. Besides, the fighting probably helped me own my problem solving skills.

2)Growing up, my only aspiration was to be a good wife and a great mother! While not completely sure I have succeeded, I only have to look at these to get some positive feedback...
November 1, 1989 -Mine & BJ's First Date
August 25, 1996- Our Wedding
November 11, 2009- At home with my hubby & kids watching TV & baking cookies.










Tara at her last dance competition








Zach just being Zach










3) Sure, having more than one child is expensive but so is Starbucks and Nordstroms. You decide what is important and you figure out to make it work... Just under $600 a month for dance lessons... New Cleats for Football are $75.00, Basketball Shoes $100, Catholic School $8000 a year, 1 week of groceries $175 , Hollister Shirt, Sweats, etc $ $100 every time we go the mall, Playstation, DS, Wii and XBox 360 + Games for all $1000's, AS parents do we have to scrimp and save and spend less on ourselves? You bet but the payback is PRICELESS!

4) Would I have more children if I could?(physically... not financially) Gladly! I feel so very blessed to have the children I have, While it is not always easy, it is ALWAYS worth it.

5)What I'll do if Katie has another and the yearning for a baby starts again? Another puppy of course and sign up to babysit!

Hi! My Name Is...

SLIM SHADY

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Here's Tara in her Halloween costume. My mom made it for her since there were no "appropriate" ones available. Super cute!

Ten on Tuesday

Ten Reasons I LOVE MY Husband!

1)Even if it bothers him that I put on weight, he tells me he loves the way I look.

2)He cleans up when the kids are sick.

3)He spends quality time with us.

4)He is the father I always dreamed my kids would have.

5)He doesn't complain when the house is messy.

6)He likes my family.

7)He tucks me into bed every night!

8)He makes the BEST Salsa!

9)He notices when I wear something new.

10)HE LOVES ME!

Lions and Tigers and Bears OH MY!

What a super fun day we had today! Got up really early and went to the Phoenix Zoo. We haven't been as a family since the kids were really little. Because we went early, we got to see the animals being fed and best of all it wasn't too hot!

Even better than the zoo was lunch after. We went to the Chuckbox in Tempe. Their burgers, onion rings and zucchini are to die for! YUM!

Wishing on Wednesday...

Since I am nowhere near my 100th post, I decided to come up with my own special post! Here's what I've been wishing...
1) I wish I didn't have to be at work at 6:20 AM
2) I wish I could have just 10 minutes in my classroom before kids get there (Daycare kids or Pre-K kids)
3) I wish I could afford a maid! I hate laundry, dishes, dusting, vacumning and cleaning the bathrooms, pool & refridgerator. I just hate to clean!
4) I wish my husband's health was better. I miss the way he used to be.
5) I wish for my children that they have everything that could ever truly need and the ability to work for the things they want.
6) I wish kids at school would stop teasing my son.
7) I wish my son had thicker skin and just ignore them.
8) I wish I had the motivation to diet. I really like to eat more than I dislike the weight.
9) I wish every weekend was 3 days long.
10) I wish for a million bucks! (you knew it was coming!)
11) I wish that it was a law that all families had to live in the same city. I hate that my grandma is in GA. I want my kids to be able to spend time with her before she's gone.
12) I wish I had as much patience with my own kids as I do with my class.
13) I wish for my children to make it through their teen/high school years without getting into trouble.
14) I wish we had more "grown up" friends.
15) I wish all of our wishes could come true :o)

I'll play! Even though there is no date night when you have been together over 20 years (13 of them married- our anniversary was Tuesday the 25th)

What are your middle names? Jennifer Lynne, Bernard John
♥ How long have you been together? 22 years
♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? 3 months
♥ Who asked whom out? He asked me out.
♥ How old are each of you? Me-41 BJ – 40
♥ Whose siblings do/did you see the most? Neither really- My brother is in Australia, & BJ's family doesn't really talk to us
♥ Do you have any children together? Tara Lynne & Zachary Taylor
♥ What about pets? 3 Dogs -Roxy, Honey & My baby SPIKE along with a snake named Striker Z! Just recently lost a cat and a guinea pig.
♥ Did you go to the same school? No Me- University of Phx. BJ- Farleigh Dickinson U.
♥ Are you from the same home town? Nope, I'm from Memphis,TN & he's from Upper Saddle River, NJ.
♥ Who is the smartest? Book Smart it's me and Common Sense Smart is him.
♥ Who is more sensitive? Depends on the time of the month although neither one of us is overly sensitive
♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? King's Fish House or Carraba's
♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? We have been to New York and Florida
♥ Who has the craziest exes? Him- He even had to have one placed on 24 hour hold at the State Psych Ward
♥ Who has the worst temper? Definitely ME!
♥ Who does the cooking? Always Me
♥ Who is more social? I think I am but he would probably say him
♥ Who is the neat-freak? BJ is the neat freak! I want to have things super organized but get overwhelmed with life.
♥ Who is more stubborn? BJ
♥ Who hogs the bed? That would be me.
♥ Who wakes up earlier? Me. Always 4:45 AM
♥ Where was your first date? Blimpies at 20th Street & Camelback
♥ Who has the bigger family? BJ. He has 5 siblings (1 is deceased)
♥ Do you get flowers often? Once every 10 years or so.
♥ How do you spend the holidays? My family comes to our house
♥ Who is more jealous? Neither of us is really jealous we have been together too long to worry
♥ How long did it take to get serious? We moved in after 3 months of dating but it took over 7 years for him to marry me!
♥ Who eats more? He does.
♥ Who does/did the laundry? I do
♥ Who’s better with the computer? Definitely HIM
♥ Who drives when you are together? BJ- I absolutely hate to drive!

Possible Hair Style??

Maybe not quite this blonde....

A NEW ME? Or is the OLD one fine?

My mom is taking me to get my hair done in the next week or so before my graduation. Every year about this time, I crave a new look! Last year it was right before my trip to New York and I got it cut really short. This time, I am thinking about more drastic color as I really enjoy the versatility of a being able to put in a ponytail (who am I kidding with versatility? I love that I can walk out of the house within minutes of waking up if I need to) So what should I do? Red, Brown, Blonde? A combination of all three?

My FIRST Ten on Tuesday

1) Why can't my husband hear the alarm? Every morning of my vacation I have spent no less than 30 minutes waking him up for work when I should be sleeping in.
2)I am so glad my new cell phone is working but sad that I can't text Katie. (Katie, go to Sprint!)
3)I wish that just for one day I wouldn't have to worry about money. Every time I think we have a little extra, I realize I forgot to pay something.
4)I would totally love to go on one of those shows like, "What Not to Wear". Not because I think I dress bad but I would really like a makeover and $5000.00 to go shopping with in New York!
5)My big project today is to install handrails on my 2 sets of stairs. Why is my husband not doing this? Why did I wait 4 years to do this?
6)Excited that my Grandma will be here in 1 week. Oh yeah, that's why I am installing handrails.
7)Even more excited that my brother is coming from Australia next month for my graduation!
8)Looking forward to Saturday and getting the pool fixed. Hopefully for the last time. My kids are driving me crazy!
9)Wishing I had the money and the energy to landscape front and back yard. I really miss getting out and digging in the dirt. Maybe once I graduate!
10)Realizing my life is so boring that I really don't have 10 interesting things to blog about :o(

Here's hoping this will all be over soon! Oh yeah! It seems my day is only getting better. University of Phoenix never received the Content Test Scores for the test I took in Sept. They have a paper that says I passed but they need the "Official" test score sheet. Apparently I should have uploaded it when I got it. Unfortunately, I never got it despite it being mailed to me on Jan. 26. So besides sitting on hold with Alltel most of the day I also spent a good 45 minutes with the AEPA score reporting people. And I still have to take a different AEPA test tomorrow- this one is for Professional Knowledge. Wish me Luck!

The nightmare only gets worse...

After not being able to text all day and sometimes not even make phone calls, I decide to call Alltel to ask what to do with not 1 but 2 crappy phones! They will gladly exchange again but want to charge me a $35 fee if I decide I want a different model. OF COURSE I WANT A DIFFERENT MODEL! Are you listening? This phone doesn't work! The battery cover doesn't fit, it won't text and dials only sometimes. After 3 hours of phone calls - I found out it also drops calls, I am told to take all phones into Alltel store where they will cancel my contract, take back defective phones. Once I have done this, I can call Alltel back and place a new order for the different model. I am settling on the LG Banter -it's the newest version of the Scoop since I don't want to pay an additional $69 a month in data charges. Here's the new phone that should be coming once I get all my other phones returned.

The nightmare that is Motorola Hint

When my Scoop's screen went wacko I decided to get this new phone - it was super cute, had a Qwerty keyboard and the price was right (FREE after rebate)

Day One: Can't get battery cover on, 17 other people can't get battery cover on. Visit Alltel store, where I am told I broke said battery cover and will have to go through phone customer service and get a new phone. I have them call from store for me and guess what!? Apparently I don't have this phone. After 1.5 hours on phone in store and numerous supervisors, they tell me they have no record of me buying this phone from them and perhaps I got it from a third party retailer like Walmart, so they can't help me. WTF? Salesman in store uploads my info from Scoop to defective battery cover phone and manages to get battery cover wedged on. (maybe the tears helped) I go home and call Alltel Customer Service and guess what I have this phone! They overnight a new one to me and I take it to store to get activated. Works for 3 whole days.

Day 5: TEXTING does not work.It's bad enough the tops of the keys are diamond shaped so they hurt your fingers when you text, now it won't even send texts. Is this a temporary problem or did I pick the world's lousiest phone? The only other phone I like is a Smart Phone (an extra $30 a month on top of my $134 a month bill (we have a total of 4 lines) Do I bite the bullet and pay the extra bill or do I stay with a phone that just bites? ARGH!

LOVE To SHOP (when it's free)

I just spent 2 hours in the Teacher Supply Store. I had a Purchase Order for $131.60 from the Alhambra School District (not sure why but I'm not complaining). So much fun! I went in with a pretty detailed list from their catalog but of course that didn't have any of it, so I picked out all new stuff-added it up, put some back, got some more. Best part was I had no one with me to rush me or complain! FUN! FUN! FUN!

Whew! I'm Tired!

I have spent the day cleaning out mine & BJ's closet. I have filled up 7 garbage bags to donate and I still am not finished. I had no idea I had soooo many shoes! I am hoping to finish before Jon & Kate comes on... I am really hoping for a big blow-up! While I am sympathetic if he is cheating, I always think of her as a controlling shrew where nothing is good enough, I have a feeling she is a completely different person when the cameras are off- NO one's house can be that clean, especially with 8 kids!

Super SUNDAY!!!

I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! I ordered my cap & gown toady along with my invitations. I am so proud of me! It's hard to believe I started out as a stay-home playground mom.

Getting to know me A-Z (thanks Katie!)

A - Age: 41
B - Birthday: Nov. 21, 1967
C - Chore you hate: All of Them!
D - Dad's Name: Larry
E - Essential start your day item: Coffee with French Vanilla Creamer
F - Favorite Food: Lobster
G-Gold or Silver: Gold but wear both
H - Height: 5'4 3/4"
I - Instruments you play(ed): Piano- 7 years of lessons that I absolutely hated! I wish I had stayed with it.
J - Job Title: Pre-K Teacher/Director, Mom to Zach & Tara
K - Kid(s): 2 Tara- 13 and Zach 10
L - Living Arrangements: A five bedroom, 2 bath house that I wish was in a different neighborhood. Love the house, hate the location but it sure is convenient for work
M - Mom's Name: Ginger.
N - Nicknames: Jenni when I was little
O - Overnight hospital stay: 1 week when I was 17 for surgery, 1 night each for both kids, 2 nights for surgery to repair what having kids did to my bladder.
P - Pet Peeve: Parents who think their kids are rocket scientists despite the fact that 10 professionals ave told them their child has issues.
Q - Quote you like: "Make it Work" Tim Gunn from Project Runway
R - Right or left handed: Right
S - Siblings: 1 Brother, Chris & 1 half-sister Cameron
T - Time you wake up: 4:45 am
U - Undying love for: Starbucks Black tea lemonade- Venti with 3 pumps classic (of course I like my family as well)
V - Vegetable you dislike: Lima Beans
W - Ways you run late: My kids & husband
X -X-rays you've had: Much too many to count!
Y - Yummy food you make: Lasagna
Z - Zodiac: Scorpio

CALGON- Take me away!!!

In an effort to keep my head from exploding I am going to blog about my recent UOP experience. Student Teaching is considered 2 seperate classes ($1323.00 each) my next "class" begins May 5th. Today I got a phone call from the financial aid department ( I am a Cash pay student so I am not sure why this lady is involved in my education) any when she said who she was I told her I would pay on this Thur. which is the 30th. She then tells me how that is unacceptable and that if I don't pay by Wed I can't continue student teaching or graduate! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Apparently they have forgotten that I have already paid them $20,000 and am totally stressed out anyway and therefore in NO mood to be screwed with! So, I am taking tomorrow off work to speak with the supervisor, who by the way has never been in the office when I need to talk to him. ARGH!!! I have made arrangements to get money from my dad to pay it but I feel like it's now the principle of it! By the way... I wish I were laying on a beach drinking a fun umbrella drink!

Spring Cleaning Here I Come... Or not

I woke up this AM with the best intentions: clean my house and clean out my kid's bulging closets. After surveying Tara's immense wardrobe (some of it still with tags) I decided I would list it all on EBAY. So far today, I have listed 21 items!! WOO HOO!!! I will be rich! Of course then I can pay on our taxes, Tara's competition fees, her next trip to New York.., whew! I'm tired! Maybe a nap today and I'll start again fresh tomorrow! I would much rather play with Spike anyway!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

The Easter Bunny brought Zach a mini remote control car and Spike loves is fascinated with it. We have spent the entire morning watching Spike chase the car around the kitchen and dining room. Too funny! Will try to get a picture soon!
In other news, BJ's brother's funeral is Friday the 17th. Instead of buying Easter outfits for the kids this year, we bought funeral stuff... not nearly as much fun :o(

Thursday...

So Tara's home sick today. I thought it would be a great opportunity to get caught up on school work (my 20 page assignment that I haven't started yet) instead I am cleaning up puke. She's really sick! After cleaning up the last mess, I realize I can't find Spike. Did I put the baby gate up? Did he fall down the stairs? Nope! In the kitchen on the soda box. Sure brought a much needed smile to my face!

YAY!!! I got my puppy! His name is SPIKE and he is the absolute cutest puppy ever! Pictures just don't do him justice. The Cookie jar one was taken when he was 7 weeks old. He is now 9 weeks old and is a little darker and his hair is puffy-er. He is a YorkiePoo- Mom weighs 6 lbs and dad weighs 8 so he should be pretty close to that. He has the sweetest personality and already is sleeping through the night. I couldn't be happier! While I should have been getting ready for my Student Teaching Midterm Observation, I spent the day online looking for cute doggie carriers. I ordered one that looks similar to Burberry Plaid.

Sping Cleaning

I have decided to completely clean my house from top to bottom today. I have three levels so Tara & I will do the top floor, Zach and I will do the bottom floor and all 3 of us will do the middle floor. I am so motivated I am actually paying the kids for their time. It doesn't hurt that Tara needs $20 more for her next New York trip payment. I am using it to my advantage !

Boy do I feel OLD! Tara just got back from a 13th birthday slumber party at one of her friend's houses. They went to the movies (ALONE) went on a scavenger hunt through the neighborhood, had a whipped cream (the kind in a can) fight and went swimming despite the water being freezing, hit the jacuzzi, and stayed up til 4! She had a great time but it sure does make me feel old that they aren't still playing Barbies and Polly Pocket!

Student Teaching & No Puppy

Well I made it through week one of student teaching... YAY! and despite sending me a video of the puppy I want, BJ did not get it for me. I spent all day Sunday looking at pups. Sure would be lots easier if I could just have another baby. Every time I see Rylee Rose I want another one! Not one puppy tugged at my heart enough to make me want to take it home. I guess I have a ridiculously long list of pre-reqs. It'll take a SUPER PUPPY to measure up.

Huh?

Three different times this weekend my family has proven to me that they just don't listen! Then when I call them on it they tell me I never said it! It is driving me absolutely crazy. I'm used to my kids ignoring but now my hubby is just as bad. I feel like walking around with a tape recorder to prove I AM NOT GOING CRAZY, which they are now accusing me of. ARGH!!!!

Bad Mom?

Tara my 12 year old has been home all week saying she had a headache. (We went through this when she was 9 and I told her she needed to wear her glasses -then found out she had mono) So this morning when there was no fever I told her she had to suck it up. We all hurt, no one LIKES getting out of bed and deal with it. When her teacher saw her, she mentioned that I should probably take her to the doctor as her son had the same symptoms several years ago and had meningitis. So she goes and guess what... Sinus Infection & an Ear infection. SO am I a bad mom cause I never believe she is sick?

I am so nervous about student teaching next week. I don't know how I will survive without my own microwave. We only get like 20 minutes to eat and have to share a microwave in the teacher's lounge. Maybe I can sneak over to my classroom...

Since Katie has so many cute pics of Rylee I will have to add some of my babies :o)

Here's the 7th image from my 7th folder. Halloween 2008. My very own Flower Fairy & Soldier of Fortune. Actually Zach wanted to be a Swat Team Guy but I hated the idea of dressing him in all black to go Trick or Treating. I have to admit, they are pretty good looking kids.

Ok Katie, I did it! Now what? Although I have really been enjoying reading everyone's blogs, making my own is kinda scary. We'll see how it goes...