5 dolla...5 dolla footlooooongs

I am so sick of that commercial that advertises Subways 5 dollar foot longs. I wake up with it in my head. Dear Subway, I hate your song so much I do not want to enter your store to buy your stupid foot longs.
Sincerely,
Judy

Is there a jingle that sticks in your head and drives you mad?

Andrew's Video

Here is Andrew's Lego Video

finding things to do...

Owen worked on this video today...*sigh* a long day. I have been sighing a lot today trying to find things to do with the boys on this snowy day. So ready for school to start back up tomorrow. I am exhausted!

Lotsa snow.

We just got done chipping away ice from the last storm, and now we are shoveling another 9 inches off the driveway. The boys were home from school today and we are all going a little crazy! It is pretty, but so much work. Gotta love home ownership!
Living in a family size condo sounds very appealing right now.

Whatshedrinkingtoday?

Yes, Bailey's (the makers of the yummy alcoholic drink) has a new creamer out! They have a few varieties but I saw this and knew I was in love...It was fabulous! I mean, really, I have wanted to add the REAL Bailey's to my coffee in the morning, but something just doesn't seem right about that. :)

Oh, do you see my new coffee pot in the background? I got it BRAND new at the thrift store for 5 bucks! I came home, put my other coffee pot on Craigslist for 5 Bucks and SOLD. It is an espresso machine too! Rock on!

So, I may have mentioned to some of you that I am decreasing my coffee consumption. It is true. I looked at my teeth (I whiten them occasionally) and Wow. Coffee really stains your teeth! I have never noticed it until I ran out of smile brightner. I am allowing myself to have Coffee on Sunday Mornings on my way to church (if the boys get ready by 8:30 for church, we promise them Dunkin Donuts). I am also allowed to have 1 cup at social gatherings like playgroup or playing at the mall. The days of making a pot of coffee in the morning and sipping on it throughout the day is behind me. I am fine without it, I never considered myself an addict. I just need to attend more social gatherings I guess.

Family Love day

I don't mind getting a card on Valentine's day, but I think stores make a TON of money off it. We don't really give in to the diamond necklace buying or the huge box of unnecessary boxes of chocolate.
We like to make Valentine's day "family love day". We have done it for the last few years and the boys look forward to it. We get out the China, metal chargers, fancy glasses, sparkling grape juice (for the kids) and champagne for us! Our special dinner included Cinnamon applesauce, steaks (that would have been much better on a grill and NOT the George Foreman), shrimp scampi, and fondue for dessert. Elliott was a super big fan of the fondue.

Waiting for dinner!

The boys and mom...

Elliott was very interested in the candles!

Me and my Valentine <3. I think I look exhausted :/


Andrew enjoying some bubbly

Owen acting totally silly. I swear, we are going to be paying for braces for the rest of our lives.

Fondue time...




Elliott didn't get enough chocolate. Best solution was to lick the tray to get that very. last. bit.

Sno Dog?

He will do this for hours...

Snowboarding...

I am catching up on my blogging, can ya tell? Aaron took the boys out of school last week (shhh) and treated them to a day of snowboarding lessons! They had a fabulous time. Andrew wants to be on the Olympics now.

Here is Andrew strutting his stuff...


Here is Owen, forgetting the heel slip...


In other news, Elliott loves this motorcycle. He takes it everywhere he goes and actually makes a mmmmm noise when he strolls it across the table. He has also been very interested in the potty. We went to Target and purchased a potty for him. Let me tell ya, what happened to the basic potty's? They have music and everything on them now! They even have one called the Royal Throne equipped with Jewels! Nothing like feeling like a King while taking a mother load???

Cute, but not really. I don't get it, but whatever works.
Anyway, we found a basic one that didn't have the stupid little plastic thing that is supposed to keep him from peeing on the floor. My kids got a kick out of watching what came out of them! Anyway, he loves sitting on it and makes this grunting sound. It is so funny to watch him, the boys just laugh. Here is Elliott's new throne, bells and whistles not included.

For now, we are just familiarizing him with the concept. Every time he poos in his diaper, we take it to the toilet and make a huge deal about it, and he smiles. The future plan is to have the boys take Elliott to the bathroom when they go. Maybe, just maybe, Elliott will follow Owen's footsteps and be potty trained by 2. I owe all of Owen's "early training" to Andrew. I did nothing. It is all in timing, but doesn't hurt to try.

The boys got their new specs!

Ok, I am done now.

March to March!

I am s0o0o0o looking forward to the month of March (aside the fact that March Madness will soon be taking over our television)! I get into this crazy "feeling blue" rut every single February. I love the month of March because it is 1 month closer to Spring. I know I deal with seasonal depression and have a few tips that helps out a bit, but I still feel blue for most of February.

What does March bring for the Judester? Well, starting March 1st, I am going back to playing the guitar. A few years ago, I picked it up and really enjoyed it. Our church is having a training starting on March 1st and I was ecstatic when I heard the announcement. They do it in a group, which is more up my alley than one on one instruction...that is one reason why I dropped out. So, Yahoo!

Another reason I am looking forward to March is because my sweet hubby is sending me off to an ALL WEEKEND scrap booking retreat. This means, I will have all of the boys scrapbooks up to date! Nothing better than a bunch of ladies drinking warm drinks together, talking and sharing. I actually will know all of the ladies I am going with this time, thank God. It should be a blast and I am totally looking forward to a weekend away. There are extra spots if anybody is interested in going with me.

So, do you get the theme? I am allowing myself and making things possible to make time for JUDY. Yes, this sounds selfish to some degree but It seems like once you have kids, this "time to yourself" thing goes out the door. I love my kids but doing these things for myself will make me a better mom (at least that is what I am telling myself). I know the moms out there totally understand. Last week, a friend told me (at the time, I didn't care for her opinion) I am so consumed with kid stuff that I forgot about how important it is to think of myself sometimes...(ummm, referring to the fact that I got a Kohl's gift card from one of my photography customers and was going to take it to buy some pants for the boys). The gift card was intended to spend on myself, for some extra work I did, not for the boys.

So, after that, guess what I did? I went and bought a new insulated coffee mug, bought some beauty products from my friend Anne, bought a NEW pair of jeans (hello, I never do that), and allowed myself some time to watch TV during the day. Even though I felt guilty at the time, the guilt faded within an hour.

Just so you know, my husband is all about having time to myself. He is always asking me "do you need time to go out by yourself"? He knows I need it. I am thankful to have a spouse that doesn't expect me to stay home, cook gourmet dinners, and carry the household burdens all by myself.

What are your sanity outlets?

Faces of Love part 3

Happy Valentine's Day. May you experience the many kinds of love on this day and everyday!