Aloha Friday~ 7/31

Its Friday and because I am pressed for time I am going to pay a visit to my old Friday friend Kailani over at an Island Life.
The idea behind Aloha Fridays is basically that in Hawaii Fridays are a day to take it easy and relax. So I post a question and you answer in the comments. Then to add to the fun, you do the same on your blog and link up at Island Life and I will stop over and do the same, K?

Here is my questsion:
Have you been to Disney? If so, what was your favorite ride, park or show?
If not, What was your best vacation ever?

Have a great Friday all!!
I am off to Maine for a day with the kids to see my dad. Be back Sunday with Quotable SUndays!!

BlogHer '10 and a gift

So we are all settled in after the notorious Disney Trip and I am getting back to real life. Work, Kids, Cleaning, Blogging, Photography and Football starts next Monday. Football in the Crazy House means 5 very long says per week... work, run home, get Trev ready, out the door, 2 hour football practice, then home. Bath for the dirty smelly boy while I throw a quick supper together at 8 o'clock (eecckkk) and then fall into bed only to do it again the next day. This goes on until school starts in September then we scale down to 3 nights a week but the trade off on that is then our weekends are Friday night practice, Saturday morning walk through and games at ungodly hours on Sundays. So, Yea.!! Fun Fun Fun

Anyway... I have been blog hopping and catching up on all the drama at BlogHer '09.
I have to admit that while I as a tad bit jealous I wasnt able to go, I am kinda relieved. I am not a real social person. Dont get me wrong. I love people. I am a people person, in certain situations. I make friends very easily BUT I have some reservations to overcome before I register for New York.

I am not the worlds best blogger. I never aspire to be the worlds most popular blogger and I also dont like drama of any kind. I have made some exceptional onlin bloggin buddies BUT I am nervous about being judged by others that dont know me... havent heard of me... and dont think I am worthy of BlogHer status.

So I am just not sure. Oh, and I also dont drink much so I am afraid I wont fit in at all the crazy parties! LOL

so I will sit on it and think it over and maybe I will drop my guard and go and maybe not...
Will you be going next year?

On a different note.. I am so grateful to some of my amazing bloggy friends... Val and Sasa posted great blogs for me while I was away and I know if any of you read Val's you will remember her neat little crafting project.
Well:

Looky Looky what I got in the mail today!!!

Custom made notepad, pen, mini notepad and magnets in my favorite brown and pink colors!!
Yea!! So if you see Val around, be sure to tell her what a great job she did on this fabulous gift for me!!

Tuesdays Tribute~ Disney

This week I am posting my Tuesday's Tribute to the wonderful and not so wonderful people I met along my journey to Florida this past week!

To the really truly amazing staff throughout the Disney Parks... Thank you for making our trip totally rockin! My son had an awesome time in your parks and after learning that we didn't have to pay for FastPass, it was even better... no long lines to wait in with a hot and cranky 7 year old!!

To the manager and owner of BareFootin in the Keys... thanks so much for moving the people out of the upstairs condo so that we didn't have to fit 4 people into a one bedroom condo with pull out couch. Yea... having the extra bathroom really made a difference. Oh, and the jacuzzi tub was just as nice as mine at home !!

To the little boy who my son played with at the condo pool.. ( sorry.. didn't get your name.. )Thanks for sharing your goggles with my son. Unfortunately we had to give him a Benadryl to take the swelling down... the Chlorine really did a number on his sensitive eyes and you offering to lend him your goggles was really sweet!

To the gentleman at the Tattoo shop... well.. my daughter was really ready to have her bellybutton pierced and it took her 4 days to work up the courage... cant believe even with a birth certificate and my authorization as her mom you wouldn't do it for her... its not like she was 10!!!

To the rude men who jumped the line for the tram... well.. that was just rude. We were all together in line, 4 of us... hot and sweaty and tired from a long day, just trying to get back to our car. It wasn't even like the damn tram was full.. but NO... you had to cut in and sit right between me and my 7 year old son... and even after we informed you we were all together you still didn't move your lazy asses. Oh, and I am glad you had to get up to let us off in our parking lot. Serves you right!

To the Orlando Airport... MY GOD!! What a zoo! You should take a field trip to Providence Airport sometime and see how they do things. It took us too long to get through Baggage check and security at your airport ... even for a Saturday! Ugh * Take my advice... fly home on a Sunday if you must fly out of Orlando!

** on another note...

To the LARGE spider who dangled down from the ceiling in the Orlando Airport and perched itself on my HEAD.... um... please please please don't ever do that again, M'kay? I do really like spiders, but you were a bit large and hairy for my liking!

Lastly....

To the staff at Universal Studios... Please take a field trip to the Disney parks. It should be mandatory for all staff members. You should offer a form of FastPass ( that doesn't cost extra like your VIP passes $$$) Your lines are way too long and your estimated wait times posted outside each ride are, basically, BULL$hit! We waited on a line that said 30 minutes... for over an hour. Then when I asked the staff member where the nearest exit was I got a rude attitude! Not nice people! Even the lines to get into your parks where way too long and it was, really, a waste of $100... we managed to get on 4 rides in 7 hours. So not cool when you have a 7 year old! And take a lesson on manners and cheeriness from the Disney team. They are always pleasant!

Thanks again to all the amazing wonderful people we met last week! We will be returning soon!

Home Sweet Home

Well I am back.... Yesterday was really like one of the longest days in the world for me.... we arrived at the Orlando Airport way early because we had to check out of the condo at 10 and then we hit the local iHop for breakfast, well, because it turned out to be my sons favorite place to eat while we were there.

We then gassed up the rental car and hit the airport. The lines were SOOOOO long.... really. Never Ever Ever try to fly out of the Orlando Airport on a saturday... really. Dont try it!!

But after sitting in the airport for 2 extra hours... then finding out our flight was delayed due to storms... we finally were able to get out of Florida, abou 40 minutes later than planned. We made great time in the air, despite having to fly around some severe weather, and arrived in Providence about 30 minutes behind schedule. All in all, it was a fabulous trip.

We went to Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Universal Studios and Animal Kingdom. Dont get me started on Universal. $100 for each of our tickets and we managed to get on 4 rides during the day. My son wasnt even able to go on the Spiderman and Hulk rides because the lines were over 2 hrs long... and no FastPass available there.. oh... you can buy a VIP pass... thanks anyway.

Anyway... we had great weather all week... a little rainy.. ok, it poured for about 2 hours, on Tuesday morning but other than that we had hot, humid sun with temps in the 90's all week. We went through 3 cases of water, 5 pints of blueberries ( dont ask... the kids adore them..) and ate at iHop 3 times. We used 3 bottles of 50 spf sunblock ( for the boy) and saw 15 lizards all around our condo. We bought lunch in the parks 2 days ( to the tune of $40 a day) and brought sandwiches the rest of the week... total cost $ 20 for buns and turkey and bologna. (would highly advise bringing lunches!!)

We bought pressed pennies at each park ... cost $.51 ????

oh... and I will leave you with this final comment, before I head off to unpack.... this, from my son... once on the plane heading down. ( his first flight)

"Trev, here is a piece of gum for the plane ride. You need it so your ears pop"

"ok mom, but I need 2 pieces... so I can put a piece in each ear!"

Zoe Keeping it real!!

Hi Everyone!
I am so excited that Jen asked me to be a guest "blogger" for the day! I love, love her posts and how they keep me connected to her amidst our 700+ miles that separate us!
As you may know, Jen and I grew up together in Northbridge, Ma and we were pretty much inseparable. Her parents (all of them, I also have 4) were the most loving family, ever. I have always loved them and I am so thankful that cyber-space has reunited us forever!

Ok, "Bloggy" time.

My topic for my discussion is my dismay over the reality show, "More to Love," which is a larger male who is attracted to plus-sized women. Where as the show "The Bachelor" has a man with a six-pack who gets to date 25 size 2, no sorry, size 0-2 women. Whatever! Where's the reality in that?!?!?!?

Being a full-figured woman, I really take offense to this title and the immediate stereotype that it initiates upon the public reading it. I am pretty sure the size of our heart is all the same.. right?! To me, what matters is that you are a healthy woman.... I think I may be able to play more of a 45 min soccer game than any of the contestants on the "Bachelor." :) He he..
The view of woman being larger than a size 2 astounds me; we are the same as your skinny-minnies! We LOVE hard, WORK hard, and PLAY hard :) A number separates us, our weight doesn't make me or anyone else a bad person inside or out. What matters to me, and I am sure all of you, is a good heart.. someone that helps their community and slaves for their family. I hate that ABC chose to change the name of the program to fit the contestants weight.. really?! UGH. I will not watch it and I am glad I can speak out about it..what do you all think about this show or the way society views and taunts plus-sized women?

I have to brag just a little; I have an amazing man who has a size 30-waist and is about 2 inches taller than I am. Once, when I started Weight Watchers, I told him about it and he looked at me and honestly stated, "why?" YESSSS. I have a man who does not see my physical "flaws" but only sees my heart, which is why he was my best friend for 10+ plus years before we got together romantically. We just celebrated our 5 year anniversary! I always encourage young girls or my peers that there are men out there that are secure enough in themselves and have pure hearts that are just looking to be loved and love someone else. :)

Thank you for letting me vent!

Have a great day, everyone and keep it real!!!

Couple Disney shots....

The internet is not so good here but here's a couple quick shots... enjoy!!!

Cinderella Castle at the Fireworks display.. Magic Kingdom...

Trev outside the StarWars ride... we had to do it twice!!!... Hollywood Studios!!

House of Night with Sasa.

Hi all! I'm Sarah from Sarah is a Lover and Not a Fighter and I've been asked to guest blog! Like Val, I was totes nervous. ::waves::

I don't know how many of you have read the House of Night series but I happen to live less than a mile from where it's all set, so I decided to give you all a little tour!




The Philbrook, where they hold a few rituals and Zoey meets up with Stevie Rae.




The park where Zoey and Heath walk to and an incident occurs.




Starbucks at Utica Square, mentioned throughout the series. This is where Zoey and Heath had a moment in the car, and where Zoey spent her birthday with her grandmother.




And the best part, the school where everything is set.
They explain in the first book that they bought this private school and turned it into the House of Night.




The House of Night from the front. Doesn't it look exactly as it's described?




From the back of the school.



I hope those of you that are reading the series now have a better vision of what it all really looks like, and those of you that haven't will possibly pick it up!


Thanks for having me guest blog Jen, hope you're having fun at Disney. <3

Lets Get Crafty

So Jen asked me to guest post today on her blog. I was so nervous when I got her message. She actually as readers, unlike my blog that has maybe 30, plus I've kind of been on a little blogging hiatus recently(oh let's say like 3 months). I decided to get a little crafty (thanks Sarah for brainstorming with me) so to speak. I like to make these books & pens for my friends and I had told Jen that I would make her one. I've just been procrastinating. This was my kick in the butt to get it done! It's pretty simple and I made all 4 of these items in about 2 hours this afternoon.
Most of these items you can get at any craft or discount store except for the O'so Sticky Paperback Sheets tape and the Mini-Micro Beads.

For the notebook you will need-
Mod Podge
Composition Book
Scrapbook Paper
Foam Brush
Paper Trimmer
Embellishments
Wax paper to protect your counter

Measure the book (they are all slightly different) and cut your paper to fit.
Dip your brush into the Mod Podge glue and brush onto the book. Enough to cover but not too much to soak through the paper.
Position your paper onto the glued cover. Smooth out, making sure the paper sticks and has no bubbles. Let dry about 5 minutes. Then you can do the back the same. (I stand it up to dry so you can get both sides done)
Next you will put a layer of Mod Podge to seal the top & sides. Do this for the front and back. let dry and add one more coat.

After it is dry, about 1/2 hour, embellish is how ever you'd like. Since I did 2 different papers I added ribbon over that seam. I also added a little personalization to the top.
The pens are just as easy.
Items needed-
Pentel R.S.V.P. ball point pen
O’so Sticky Sheets – piece cut to 2 ½" x 3 3/8"
Red liner tape (got this at JoAnn fabric in the craft section)
Scrapbook paper- cut to 2 3/8 " x 3 1/4"
Clear Mini Micro Beads (in a container long enough for the pen to fit in)


1. Cut your paper to the size needed. Add the red liner tape the length of each side.
2. Remove the red liner to leave the clear tape then carefully stick it to the pen and roll it up.
3. Remove one side of the sticky sheet and roll onto the paper on the pen. Twist until it meets to over lap then remove the other side of paper.
4. Roll in the container of the beads until completely coated. Roll between your fingers to help the beads adhere and this will also help remove the loose ones. You might need to repeat this step until it's completely covered.

There you go. A cute and easy little gift for your friends. I also decided to add two more items to the pot so here are some magnets and a Post It note holder....

Items Needed-

Cardstock
Paper trimmer with scoring blade
Post-it note pad Adhesive Glue
Embellishments

1. Cut cardstock to 7 ½” x 3 ½”. Score the cardstock at 3 ½” & again at 4”.

2. Fold over at the two scores.

3. Glue the back of the post it note

4. Place it on one of the inside squares making sure there is an even border.

5. Cut and glue a coordinating piece of 3”x3” paper.

6. Place it evenly on the top. Embellish how you would like.

1. Items needed-

Clear Flat Glass Marbles Silicone Sealer Pictures or Scrapbook paper Round strong magnets Circle punch Mod Podge & foam brush

2. Punch out your circle.

3. Brush the Mod Podge onto the marble, place paper over it with the design facing down. Smooth & let dry. Brush one coat of the glue over the paper.

4. When dry put a drop of the silicone sealer on the magnet

5. Carefully place on the back of the marbles and let dry.

Need a gift? Get crafting!
Val

Off to see Mickey Mouse!!

OK guys, so I am a day away from heading to Disney. My first real vacation since my honeymoon 2 years ago with my hubby, and though we had a great week, we were only about an hour away from home.
I havent flown since I went to visit my step moms family in Puerto Rico when I was 19!! I love to fly and I can not wait to sit next to my son for his first plane ride. I hope he loves it!

I am in the process of packing and lets just say that it is a challenge. I know in my head that I am going for 8 days. I know in my head that we have a condo with washer and dryer. Yet, I am becoming obsessed with bringing everything I think I might need. Has this happened to you??
When we vacation at our house on the Cape.. I bring bathing suits, shorts and tanks. Sweatpants and a sweatshirt for nightime. Same when we go see my dad in Maine.

I am going to Florida in July. I know I wont need warm clothes.. its gonna be frickin HOT but what if... should I ... I dont know. Forget the pants Jenn. Forget the sweatshirts. You aint gonna need em ! Right? But what if...

See... I could do this all night, then I would be cranky tomorrow for lack of sleep, then I wont sleep tomorrow night cuz I will be too overtired and then I wont be rested when we land in Florida Saturday.
Ughh... stress before a vacation is never a good thing.
I will be posting sporadically from my trip ( of course the laptop is coming... jeez... ) BUT I have a few fun surprises for y'all!

Be nice now and I will fill you in!

I have lined up a few guest bloggers to stop by the Crazy House while I am gone and I need your help!
Two of these awesome ladies are bloggers. Hopefully you have read them and follow them already but if you dont.. you should!

The other 2 guests are not bloggers.
One in my very bestest friend from Elementary School. We lost touch for years, then reconnected on Myspace and Facebook and we get together whenever she is home. She lives far away :(

The second guest I have is none other than the Crazy Nana. (my mom)

Not sure what any of these awesome rockin ladies have in store for their Crazy posts but I am sure they will all be awesome and I hope you comment like crazy and show them some love!!

Well.. I am off. Might be stopping in to have a little GNO tomorrow with Ann but if not... I will see you all from Florida in a few days!

** Be sure you are following my Photo Blog to catch all the awesome photos I will be taking!!

Need help, advice...***UPDATED***

***UPDATED*** Scroll down to see what happened!!


Do you Facebook? Here's the thing... I do. I started years ago with Myspace to keep an eye on my daughter who had a Myspace page. I found some great old friends there. I also picked up a ton of my daughters friends.. teens... and ended up getting tired of reading all about their angst.

So I switched over to Facebook and low and behold, I found the same great friends and more. We have had a great time reconneting from all over the globe and have even managed to plan 2 small reunions in the last 2 years.

If you read any of this story of my life here.. you might remember I spent a few miserable years in Connecticut away from my family and friends, alone with 3 kids. Anyway, during my almost 6 years there, I met a great girl. She was a few years younger than me, but her daughter and Jocelyn were about 8 mths apart and they became best friends. They lived above me in the apartment upstairs and we became inseperable. She married the father of her daughter, in fact I was the photographer for her wedding. Then things got ugly. I mean UGLY. Dont know really what happened but she and her husband split up and she became a party girl. Often leaving her daughter with me while she went out and drank and drugged up. She continued on a downward spiral and eventually ended up with a guy who, believe it or not, made her problems even worse. I spoke to her last about 4 years ago and she wasnt in any better shape then when I left her in Connecticut almost 6 years ago.



Well... I found her sister on Facebook. And sadly, I found out she has had 2 DUI arrests and lost custody of her daughter, to the father( who I hear has his shit together and is a more stable part of her little girls life.)

My dilema is this:

This was a very important person in my life. She was really the only good friend I made while I lived there and she was really the one person I could turn to. I considered her family. It broke my heart to leave her behind but I had 3 kids to raise and an opportunity to better myself and get out of that hell hole with an amazing man. She was hurt and jealous and I wonder if that made her worse.

I have her number. It is a cell. Is it wrong of me to text her? Should I call? I would love to talk to her but am nervous. I hear she has 6 months sober and is working on bettering herself...

I am a chicken.

Help!


***UPDATED***
So last night I text her. She responded in about 10 minutes and was super excited to hear from me. Obviously I couldnt tell how she sounded, but, she said she has been sober for a few months now, has a real good relationship with her daughter even though they arent living together. She has her on Wednesdays and on the weekends. She is with a nicer guy now and has been for a few years. He is helping her stay sober, she says. We text for about an hour and since she doesnt have internet, I text her pics of my kids and she sent one of her daughter. She is supposed to call me tonight and then we talked about making plans to get the kids together after my trip. So... hopefully we can reconnect and it will be good! Thanks for all your helpful thoughts and comments. I really appreciate it guys!!

Not Me Monday~ 7/13th

Not Me Monday~

This week I did not spend a ton of money on my vacation!



I did not eat hamburgers and hot dogs all week... oh and macaroni salad! Nope, I certainly didnt!



I did not take over 300 pictures while on vacation with my kiddos. I couldnt have possibly done that!!



I did not cry and whine like a 2 year old when I realized that Sunday was all over and I had to go back to work Monday morning. Nope, in fact I was thrilled!

Head over to My Charming Kids and join in the Not Me Monday fun!!

Quotable Sunday~ A Little Jimmy

Its time for Quotable Sundays over at Toni's and today is my last day of vacation before returning to work for a week, then off to Disney! p.s. Still looking for a few guest bloggers while I am gone. Comment if you are interested! Anyhoo... we are off to the beach again today to enjoy another beautiful day of sun ( after 3 weeks of rain... you can bet your a$$ I am gonna enjoy it!)
So nothing screams "Summer Sun" more to me than a little Jimmy Buffett. Today my quotes are from some of Jimmy's songs! Enjoy

1.)He's the greatest guy to work for, man he's really cool
Hey Snake this party's gettin' dull, throw someone in the pool
Hey let's all take our clothes off and form a conga line
Watch out for that broken glass, hey Snake we need more wine

2.)Nibblin' on sponge cake
Watching the sun bake
All of those tourists covered with oil
Strumming my six-stringOn my front porch swing
Smell those shrimp, they're beginning to boil

3.)And there's that one particular harbour
Sheltered from the wind
Where the children play on the shore each day
And all are safe within

4.)She came down from Cincinnati
It took her three days on the train
Lookin' for some peace and quiet
Hoped to see the sun again

But now she lives down by the ocean
She's takin' care to look for sharks
They hang out in the local bars
And they feed right after dark

Please be sure to join us over at Toni's for Quotable Sundays!

GNO~ Ann's Birthday

Its Friday again and that means its time for GNO at Ann's! Its her Birthday tomorrow so make sure you all head over to say Happy Birthday to our gracious hostess!!
I enjoyed a beautiful day finally here in Mass ... one of the last days in my vacation week!
Here is my Son Trev and his friend Tyler at the beach today! See... See... the sun really is out, and guess what.. its supposed to be sunny tomorrow and Sunday too!

Be sure to join us over at Ann's for more GNO fun!

Have a drink and answer the question of the day!

My house band would be Jimmy Buffett for my Birthday Bash... since my birthday is June and the summer screams JIMMY... to me!!
Here's a little Jimmy for y'all!!

Have a great weekend!

Open Letter: Dear Mr. Sun

Open Letter: Dear Mr. Sun



Dear Mr. Sun,

I am on vacation this week. I know I mentioned that a time or two. In less than 2 weeks I will be in Florida on another vacation and you see, I haven't seen much of you here in Mass lately and so I am lacking a tan. I am afraid when I get off the plane in Florida I might burn to a crisp and not enjoy my time there with my son.



I do not know why you hide from the good people of New England. We enjoy our sunshine as much as the good folks of Florida and Texas and California.



We need your light to shine on our plants and vegetables as well as other states.



I do not know if you have a sneaky agreement with Mr. Cloud and Mr. Rainstorm, but it seems to me that you guys are in cahoots to ruin my summer vacation!



See, Mr. Sun, I have 3 children. We went to the Zoo Monday, then we went to the Aquarium Tuesday. Do you know how much money I have spent? The beach on the other hand is cheap. And fun. And I can get a tan. And read a book, while my kids entertain themselves.

So really! You have thoroughly let me down this week. Really!

A little sun on Monday, none Tuesday, and hour yesterday and today... you have officially gone into hiding again!

So I am asking, No I am begging... please show yourself here in Massachusetts tomorrow so my whole week isn't wasted! Please Please Please... I'll be your best friend!!



Thanks,

Pasty White, Flat out Broke and water logged in Massachusetts

For more great Open Letters Head over to Jiggty Jigg

The Day after the Pig

OK, so I am skipping my usual Quotable Sunday today because, well, basically I have to much to do! But I did go to my first ever Pig Roast at a friends house on a lake yesterday and after almost 3 weeks of solid rainy weather here in Mass, the sun was mostly out and the kids even got to swim and tube a bit! I got a teensy bit of color ( due to my new strapless top and ouchy new strapless bra) and we got to see an amazing 40 minutes of rockin' Fireworks courtesy of our host and his neighbors on the lake.
All in all we had a great day... only a few tears when 5 minutes after arriving my son was stung by a hornet... he swelled up bad for about 15 minutes then was off playing!
Today I have to hit the grocery store and return some things to Kohl's and then maybe try Target for some stuff for Florida ( did I mention I won a $50 gc to Target courtesy of Fishful Thinking?? I was in the top 15 ambassadors 2 weeks ago! Woo~Hoo... so keep heading over and checking out their great site for me!!

I hope you all had a great Fourth!

GNO~ Vacation Edition

Its Friday and I am on VACATION for a week! Yea baby! And boy do I need it!!
Today was an easy day at work and I got out at 2, was about to head to Kohl's for some shopping for my upcoming Florida trip and Hubby called and invited me out to LongHorns for a nice quiet lunch! I actually wasnt that hungry but I did eat about 5 Firecracker Chicken Wraps ( appetizers) and I enjoyed a Raspberry Margarita... say what? Me....the lightweight? Yep, you can bet your ass after the week I had, I was drinking an alcoholic beverage at 2pm! And it was delectable!!
Then my sister and her hubby came over with their daughter Natalie and guess what? We had Friendlie's Ice Cream sundaes for dinner! Hell ya we did!!
Its time for GNO over at Ann's!!

We have drinks and fun and blog hop! Seriously, come join us!

Last week I ran a giveaway here in the Crazy House!
My winner is Yaya!! Orange, Wonderful, Awesome Yaya!!!
Congrads Yaya!!

Have a great 4Th of July and I will see you all next week!!

Casual Friday Vlog~July 4th Edition

Casual Friday Vlogs



Be sure to head over to The Bantering Blonde for more Casual Friday fun!