When Daddy's Away...(we spend lots of money)

Every year, Jason goes on a road trip with friends to attend an MSU basketball game.  This year they went to a losing game against Northwestern...sucks to be them....us girls had fun!

On Saturday morning, I took the girls to gymnastics and then out for lunch with my mom and Gerry.  But the whole time, Sydney only had one thing on her mind...Justice.  The day before, a catalog for Justice game in the mail advertising a major sale.  Sydney had been begging me to take her there.  On Friday, I kept saying "maybe", which as she knows, usually turns into "yes".  So, after lunch, we went to Justice and put a little dent in my wallet.  Oh, backtracking really quick...that morning before gymnastics, Sydney came downstairs with her purse telling me she had money to buy some things at Justice.  She actually has quite a bit of money in her bank in her room, but she came down with six one dollar bills.  I told her that she really couldn't buy very much with that.  She said, "that's alright, I want to save my big bills, so I'll just give you these ones.  I wasn't planning on buying very much, but everything was just so darn cute on her, that I caved.  I usually buy their clothes at mom-to-mom sales, so I figured that I owed it to her to pick out a few things that she liked.  And of course I couldn't leave Lizzy out who was running around the store like a crazy person.  The clothes are too big for her there so she got a package of Squinkies...she loves those silly little toys!!  The rest of the day, the kids had fun playing with each other, and Sydney tried on a lot of her new clothes and put on a fashion show...we had fun just hanging out.

On Sunday, I was planning on just relaxing and going nowhere.  But when all the kids wanted to do was play in the snow, I had to come up with something because this girl just does NOT like winter!  I'll save the cold winter outdoor activities for Jason!!  So we met my mom and Gerry at Siegel's Deli where I had my favorite meal...bagels and lox!  Then we went to Target and came home with lots of things we didn't need.  The girls each got to pick out something from the dollar spot...can anyone ever get out of that store without making a stop at the dollar spot?  I know I can't!  Then, the girls talked me into buying them some new heart bowls for their cereal.  By that time, I couldn't even remember why I went into the store in the first place (which was to look for a Kindle Fire case for me...which they didn't have), so we bought things to make cupcakes and went home and started baking.  The kids had a lot of fun, and now we have enough cupcakes to feed an army, and I have a feeling I'm going to be the only member of the army and gain quite a few pounds.  The rest of the day we just played and did a few puzzles, and then I shipped Sydney off to Gerry's house (of course my mom was there too) to spend the night since she had no school on Monday for Martin Luther King day!  Unfortunately I have to work tomorrow, but I had a fun weekend with my girls, but it seemed like a whirlwind, and I could definitely use a rest!!

Hannah's Birthday Party

I just realized why I've gotten so many blogs in lately.  It's all because of iCloud!  I love that the pictures that I take on my phone are already loaded onto my computer when I get home.  Most of the time, I'm too lazy to upload pictures and that just sets everything back!  I'm on a roll!

Anyway...last weekend we went to Hannah's first birthday!  It was a big ol' candy fest! There was every kind of candy imaginable, including an ice cream cart.  The kids definitely made sure to load up on the candy and take a bunch of it home too!  The kids had fun running around on their sugar high and playing together.  As usual, Sydney tried to take care of all of the little kids, but fun was had by all!

Gymnastics

Well, dance is over and god forbid we only do swimming...but the kids have been begging me to do gymnastics, and so I signed them up, since they are apparently in charge!  The Sports Club had a class for 3 and 5 year olds, so they could both be in the same class, so it really couldn't be easier.  The only problem is that we joined mid-session so there were only four classes left.  But they prorated the class so it was really cheap and a good opportunity to even see if they liked it without fully committing.  The good news is that they both LOVE it and talk about it constantly...and now instead of Sydney kicking everywhere, now she does cartwheels everywhere!  The bad news is, there are only three classes left which means they will only get to go a total of 4 times.  So...what on earth are we going to do?  One thing I'm pretty confident of...these kids will keep me busy!!

The Park in January?

That's right!  This is my kind of winter!  As a girl who hates the snow and everything that comes with it, including but not limited to, bundling up, keeping track of hats and gloves, shoveling, driving, scraping the car, and just being cold...I'm loving this no snow thing!!  Over the weekend (and we're talking mid January), it was in the upper 50's, basically 60!  So, I HAD to take the kids to the park.

It's like an every day occurrence in the summer time, but it has been a long time since we've been to the park and they were thrilled and told me I was the best mom ever...glad they're easily pleased!

Oh, and before the park, I took them to the bulk food store and let them buy candy...so maybe I really am the best mom (for the day)!

Dance Recital

This year Sydney took pom pom since she wants to be a cheerleader and Lizzy took ballet, well because that's what I signed her up for!  They enjoyed going to class each week and Lizzy especially enjoyed getting in to mischief with her friend Cara, but they both had a blast!

Sydney LOVED pom pom, until she got the costume and realized it was just a tank top that you wear with black pants.  She was devastated!  But, they did put on a cute show to the song "Big Night" and she did an amazing job.  Her favorite part was kicking her leg in the air, which she does like 50 times a day.  She doesn't even realize she's doing it...she even does it in stores...she just kicks everywhere!

Lizzy danced to Rubber Ducky.  It was sooooo cute!  I thought for sure she would freak out when she got on stage and saw all the people, but she definitely proved me wrong! I was the one who freaked out when I realized I had to stay there the ENTIRE day...first for Sydney's dress rehearsal, then Lizzy's practice, and then the real show!  At least I had Jill there (Cara and Michela's mom) to gossip with!

I was so proud of both of them.  They did an awesome job!  And the first thing Sydney did when she walked in the door was...she put on Lizzy's recital costume...she just couldn't wait to be all fancy!

Hanukkah/Christmas

I am going to skip right from Thanksgiving to Hanukkah and Christmas even though I'm sure we did a TON of stuff in between, but I'll backtrack later if I need to and write about the things that are fresh on my mind because it seems as if I can't find a ton of spare time to sit down and write anymore.

Hanukkah and Christmas were actually very close together this year, so the kids had presents up the wazoo! We had three nights of Hanukkah before heading to Midland for Christmas.  For Hanukkah, we had a party at Gerry's house with my mom and the Pelig's (Gerry's daughter and family).  The kids got along great and we had my favorite meal...bagels and lox among other things, and of course the kids were spoiled rotten with presents.  The highlight was the huge Barbie playhouse which Jason swore at a number of times while putting it together, but in the end, it looked great and the kids love it!  Most of things I got for Sydney were Barbie's, but it's what she wanted and I didn't go crazy because I knew Christmas was right around the corner and not every kid gets to celebrate both holidays, so they are a little spoiled.  Lizzy was content with whatever we gave her; which consisted of a couple princess toys, a barbie, a barbie cell phone...nothing major!  Sydney, on the other hand, needs to be taught a lesson!  She can be very ungrateful at times and it makes me so upset.  If she should get a book or clothes, she's not happy and throws a fit.  So we had to have that whole conversation about how some people don't get anything and she should be lucky to get anything let alone celebrate two holidays.  So, the next opportunity I get, I am going to take her some where to volunteer or donate some of her things so she can see where they are going and how good it feels to do something nice for others.  I'm just not exactly sure where to go or what to do so that it has an impact, but when I figure it out, we are definitely going!

The kids could hardly wait to get to Midland for Christmas.  There were so many presents under the tree!  We had to huge meals; one on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas day...I promise you we were not lacking in the food department.  I think I'm still full 3 days later, and as much as I love junk, it doesn't even sound good right now!  The only thing I don't like about Christmas is that Santa gets all of the credit...no fair!  So Jason and I had to stay up late wrapping presents and buying Sydney a fish (she just HAD to have a fish)...and we can't even tell her that we bought it!  But we all made out very well.  Jason bought me a new Mac Book Pro which I'm typing on as we speak, and I also got a Kindle Fire, new boots, cool dishes, a cupcake maker, jewelry, gift cards, money...I'm not complaining one bit!!  The kids got toys, toys, and more toys...too many to even list.  But Lizzy's absolute favorite (which I have to give credit to Jason for), were these miniature princess figurines.  He bought (or should I say Santa?) three different sets...Cinderella, Arielle, and then just a set of the typical princesses.  She has literally been playing with them all day, every day.  She lines them up everywhere and has the longest attention span.  She even puts them in her bed when we aren't looking...she is borderline obsessed!!  She is definitely one happy kid!

Sydney and Lizzy had so much fun playing with their cousins, that she didn't want to come home.  So when we left on Monday, we left Sydney there!  She just loves playing with the "big kids".  I'm not sure when she's coming home, but I'm sure we'll have to go get her eventually.  But for now, she's livin' the life, getting spoiled rotten (just what she needs).

It always feels like such a let down after the holidays are over.  I always have the whole week off of Christmas and then go back after New Year's and it's the LONGEST stretch of time without a holiday.  I'm so bad at just enjoying my days off, but I can't help thinking about going back to work...but I will try and enjoy these last few days, because I must admit, it feels pretty darn good to just sit and relax...even if I am just sitting in a hospital room watching my mom sleep (no worries, she's fine...just had her ovaries out and everything looks good).  (And on a side note...if I ever have to be admitted to the hospital...I would like to request Henry Ford West Bloomfield...I feel like I'm in a hotel and I even went shopping...who, other than me, takes their mom to the hospital and comes back with more than they came with?)

Anyway...here's to a happy and healthy new year!!  When's the next holiday....?

Thanksgiving

My mom just had a very large cyst removed and I was the chosen one to bring her in for her surgery, so I have a little time on my hands; I might as well give a little update!

For Thanksgiving this year, we ended up staying home and having it at our house.  I think it actually turned out quite nice.  This year Gail's son, Jeremy and his wife, Joy, decided to surprise Gail and come in for the holiday.  I think the last time I saw them was like 5 years ago.  I'm all about surprises too!  The whole time, I knew that Jeremy was bringing a kosher turkey, but since Gail insisted on coming over the day before to teach me how to brine a turkey, I had to get one too, or else it would ruin the surprise!  So, we ended up with two turkeys.  But hey, I'm not complaining...I love leftovers!  I know some people don't like leftovers, but anytime I can just grab something out of the fridge without cooking is a good day in my book!

Anyway, Gail was completely surprised and it was fun to hang out with everyone.  Joe, Polly, Jill, Brandon, and Tyler also came down which was very nice.  Sydney and Lizzy had a ball playing with everyone! Jeremy and Joy even bought them a gift, so they were all quick buddy's!

Overall, we had a great time.  I had just had a minor surgery to remove a small bump in my forehead so I was in a little pain and had a bunch of stitches, but it didn't stop me!!  That night I decided it would be a wise decision to head out to Toys R Us at 9:00pm for black Friday.  However...it wasn't so wise; I won't be doing that again...but I might change my mind next year!  The line was wrapped around the store and it took over an hour to even get in.  But by the time you're in, you kind of feel committed.  So, I gathered up a bunch of goods for the kids and lugged them around the store...they didn't have carts because of the large mass of people, so everyone got bags (unless you were one of the first one's in the store, but those crazies had to camp out all day, and that is something I'm just not willing to do!!)  Then it came time to check out!  The line was literally wrapped around the entire store.  Like I said, you already felt committed, so you felt compelled to wait in line.  I asked a sales associate how long, and she said about 45 minutes, so that wasn't bad...until 45 minutes passed and I had barely moved. Then I asked a different person and she said about 45 minutes to an hour.  I literally wanted to drop everything and leave.  But for some reason, I stayed!  I got home sometime between 12 and 1am, and I really don't think I got anything too great...with all the hype I thought I would come out with these great things...maybe next time I need a list and a plan (and someone to wait in line for me while I shop).  This is not a one person operation!!  The bottom line is, I made it out alive and if I ever decide to do that again, I should sit down and read this blog or else it's my own darn fault for torturing myself...the things I do for the kids!