Sunday, October 28, 2007

Anthony is here!




My fluid levels were low so they decided to take him out early. It was a great experience as far as surgeries go, I had an excellent anesthesiologist, great surgeon and the nurses at the hospital were wonderful. As much as I have complained about having that insurance company , my experience at that hospital was wonderful. Although the other hospital had way better food. LMAO

Anyway Anthony weighed in at 7 lbs 13 ounces and 20 inches long. He looks just like Amelia. Everyone in the operating room commented on his hair when he came out. :-)

He is healthy, didn't lose any weight in the hospital, and is eating like a champ. He eats, sleeps and poops. It's great! I am still tired and sore, but doing pretty well all in all. We are already getting one 4 or 5 hour stretch of sleeping at night. Go baby go! :-)

Amelia is in love with her little brother and is doing a great job of leaving him alone so far. She gets her stool and stands on it next to the bassinet so she can see what he's doing, but she's pretty good at not touching unless we say it's okay.

I'm crossing my fingers that he stays such an easy baby. I was worried that something was wrong with him because he just eats and sleeps, but apparently that's normal in the first few days of life! LOL Nothing like my little Amelia who screamed at me for the first weeks/months of her life. :-)

Friday, October 26, 2007





Baby Anthony has arrived. We're still in the hospital. Amelia came to visit today and is in love with her brother. We should be going home tomorrow, I'll post more then.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Wilmington NC Self Storage

We all have extra stuff that we need to keep, but just don't have room for. Whether it's antiques, furniture, baby stuff or your Christmas decorations, we've all go stuff. We just don't all have the extra room for it.

If you're in the North Carolina area, and you're looking for a self storage place, go visit wilmington nc self storage.

The prices are great ( much lower than what we pay for our storage unit!) and they also have specials running right now on a few sizes of units. For as little as $42 a month, you can have the peace of mind of knowing your things are secure. With 24 hour access to the facility you can get to your belongings whenever you need to. They also have excellent security with recorded video surveillance and gates that require a code to access. There is onsite resident management, as well as many other great features. If you're looking for a place to keep your belongings safe, go to Extra Attic.




Where do you sleep?



I know I've mentioned before that part way through this pregnancy, Jeff and I decided we needed a new bed. We've needed one for a while, but me being pregnant and uncomfortable made it all the more clear how much we needed one. Since we were getting a new mattress anyway, we decided to upgrade to a King size bed, which means we need a new bed frame. I haven't picked out a frame yet, but I have begun researching, and I found the Quality Oak Beds at Time4Sleep.



Besides all the great oak beds that they carry, Time4Sleep carries some great kids beds too. I love the pink jeep bed and the fire truck bed. Too bad they don't make those in king size! Although I'm sure Amelia, or in a few years, Anthony would love to have a bed like that.

So if you're in the market for a new bed, you should go visit the bedmakers at Time4Sleep.com
Amelia doesn't understand why we can't go out and play today. This is why. Those aren't clouds. It would be clear today if not for the smoke. It's good that the winds are dying down, but it means the smoke just sits over the fires. These pictures are SE of us which is where the Santiago fire is. Doesn't it almost look like it should be sunset or something? I took these at noon today. It's about 95 degrees our right now too, and I think the humidity is around 10 percent.



Wordless Wednesday #2
This is what happens when Amelia finds a freshly baked chocolate cake on top of the stove.







Amelia discovered a cake that I had made earlier that day. I was in the other room and thought she was asleep. Ooops! Oh well at least she had a tasty snack today. :-)

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Black-Friday.net

Shopping is one of my favorite hobbies, especially when it involves a good sale!

I just found the coolest website for anyone who likes shopping and likes a bargain. It's called black-friday.net. Basically we all love the deals that are available on Black Friday( also known as the day after Thanksgiving), but who wants to circle the mall for 2 hours to find parking, at 5 AM and then get in a fist fight to get the last TV that's on sale.(Yes that actually happened to a friend of mine!)

If you go visit this site, you can see the ads for the biggest shopping day of the year, before they are normally made public. You can also sign up to get an email reminder when the ads are updated. Then once you have accessed the ads, you can even go online and make the purchases, so you don't have to brave the crazy stores to make your purchase. It's a win win situation for everyone!

I will be checking out Macy's Ads as well as Old Navy's Deals

So if you are like me, and love shopping but hate the craziness then go visit www.black-friday.net. And if you're feeling really nice, you can pick up a gift or two for me!

oops

I made the mistake earlier of not closing my garage door. I didn't realize how yucky the air was until I went out into my garage a few hours later and found that everything was covered in a layer of ash from the fires. I guess I'll be washing that clean basket of laundry that's sitting on top of the washer again.

Furniturefromhome.com



I love furniture. Someday Jeff and I will have a huge house in the middle of nowhere that we can fill with beautiful furniture and accessories. Until we win lotto, we have to be content with buying a few wonderful things that we love. We having a dining room furniture set that Jeff loves. It's not my favorite though. I'd love to able to buy a new set from furniturefromhome.com. They have a great selection and great prices. If you're looking for dining furniture or a formal dining room set you should go to their site.

They also have some gorgeous sleigh beds. We recently bought a new king size bed, but haven't gotten a headboard yet. I'd love it if Santa brought me one of the beautiful pieces of furniture from Furniturefromhome.com

I can dream right?

Costumes




Posting this for my mom, these are the costumes we got today for the girls. Aren't they cute? Thanks Kathy for going to the disney store with me. I actually bought two costumes for Amelia as well, but didn't take pictures of them. They are for Christmas, I got her tinkerbell and a sleeping beauty costume. I really wanted to get her the Ariel costume, but they just didn't have it in a small enough size for Amelia. The one she is trying on is for one of my cousins kids, she is taller than Amelia.

Amusement parks



If you know me at all, you probably know that we live 10 minutes from Disneyland, and that we go there a lot. We spend a lot of money every year so we can go whenever we want, and if we stay for 15 minutes, that's okay, we can go back next week.

I just heard about another amusement park that sounds pretty cool. It's across the pond, so my chances of going there anytime soon are slim, but it still seems cool!

The park is called Pleasure Beach Blackpool and is modeled after American style amusement parks. It was started in 1896 and has in the same location since. It features Europe's tallest fastest rollercoaster, The Pepsi Max Big One. It also has Valhalla, the world's biggest dark ride which opened 2000.

Another thing that looks great is the Blackpool Restaurant called White Tower.

Monday, October 22, 2007

38 Weeks



Here's a 38 week belly shot. I'd have a better shot if I'd remember to do these pictures when jeff was home. :-)

Preggo stats so far,

Total weight gain: 14 pounds
Total trips to Labor and Delivery: 3
Total ultrasounds so far: At least 15
Number of times we've confirmed he's a boy: At least 6 or 7
Trips to Babies R Us: Way too many!
Days until the c Section: 13


That's all I can think of for now. I'll leave you with a picture of Amelia in the car. Ain't she cute??


Car seats

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm kind of a nut about car seat safety. I have been known to give people car seats so that they have a safe seat for their kids. When we found out I was pregnant again, I had to research car seats again, since it had been a few years since I had an infant. Not to mention, I didn't have an infant seat any more. I spent a lot of time researching car seats. Some of the best seats out there, are made by Britax. One of my favorites is the Britax Marathon. It's basically the Rolls Royce of the car seat world. Britax is known for being one of the safest seats out there, and the Marathon doesn't disapoint. It's a convertible seat that has a 5 point harness that goes up to 65 pounds, (much higher than most other seats on the market. ) It can also be rear facing until 33 pounds, which is the safest way for small children to be in the car. The cost is higher than some other seats, but your kids can use this seat for so much longer, that I think the Marathon is worth the extra cost.

If you're looking for a new car seat that will last from the time your baby comes home from the hospital until they are in school, you should look at the Britax Marathon.

Fires-updated



Click on the picture to see it more clearly. It looks cloudy doesn't it? It's not. It would be a clear day if not for the smoke.



Look at the palm trees blowing in the wind...

There are about a dozen wildfires burning around Southern California today. At least 3 of my friends in different areas have had to evactuate so far. In Seven counties, the governor has declared a state of emergency. We aren't in direct danger where we are, there was one fire in Orange but it has burned further South and is not threatening us. But, it's hot, and it's windy and smokey. Even with the house all closed up I can smell the smoke. I just went out in the garage for something and it's even worse smelling out there.

We've had winds at 30-40 miles an hour with gusts in some places up to 80 or 90 miles an hour! There are trees down, people without power, and 100's of thousands of people have had to evacuate.

So if you're the praying sort say a little prayer for all the people who have already lost their homes and for the ones who still don't know if they will have a home to go back to. Otherwise, send some good thoughts our way.

I took some pictures of the nasty sky earlier but can't find the camera cord to upload them. I'll be back when I find the camera cord.

When I grow up...

When you were a little kid what did you want to be when you grew up? I knew from the ripe old age of 4 that I was going to be a doctor. There are pictures of me on my 4th birthday with this cute little doctor's kit. I had glasses and a pen and a stethoscope that all sat in a nice little doctor's bag. From then on, I was going to be a doctor.

Somewhere around middle school, I figured out that there were some drawbacks to being a doctor. There was lots and lots of school, and lots and lots of money involved. Not to mention, you'd have to survive anatomy classes that involved dissecting things. ( I hated 7th grade science because we had to dissect a worm. How was I going to study a cadaver in med school?)

I was lucky that when I was in college, I sort of fell into a career I really enjoyed. I started off majoring in computer science, and ended up taking a class called math for elementary teachers. With that class I had to do some work experience. I ended up working at a preschool, changed my degree to Early Childhood Education and started teaching preschool after I graduated. From there I moved into nannying and the rest is history!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Mailbox Security

When I was a kid, I lived in a very rural area. Nothing like the place I now call home. Since it was such a rural area, it was normal to see mailboxes along the side of a country road, with no houses in sight. Because of this, it was not uncommon to go out one morning and find your mailbox was in pieces or gone altogether. There was a "game" played by young teenagers called mailbox baseball. I won't give you all the details, but lets just say it involved sitting in the back of a truck and driving along the side of the road with a baseball bat.

Unfortunately it was also not uncommon to have people get into your mail. Back then all of the mailboxes were cheap plastic stuck on a small piece of wood in the mud. I have found a website that has a great product to combat the teenagers in rural areas with too much time on their hands.

Now there are locking mailboxes available to keep people out of your mailbox.

Over the river and through the woods...

Next summer Anthony will be old enough to travel and the kids and I will make our annual trek to Oregon to visit all of my family. I have sworn off flying ever again with a toddler, so we will be driving. I actually really enjoy the trip up North. I have always loved to drive and go off on adventures. I'm not sure how much fun it will be with a baby, but that's okay.

Anyway I have decided that this year when we make the trip, we will actually stop along the way and do some touristy stuff, and see some sights that we normally drive right past. Amelia is getting older, and she is starting to enjoy some of those sorts of things.

So as the summer gets closer, I will be using the travel guide at RealTravel.com to plan our trip. I can go on that website and see what other travelers have said about trips in that area. I will be able to plan our trip based on other people's reviews, and blogs about travel. I think it will be beneficial to plan my trip based on other travelers reviews.

So far I think we will probably stop somewhere near Mount Shasta, it's a beautiful place and it's a great halfway point. I haven't decided yet where the rest of our adventure will take us.

One more

quick post before bed. There is one thing about being pregnant that I will miss. That's the movement. My baby boy has his head down in my pelvis and his little butt is just above my belly button. And he kicks me all day long. But every one of those little kicks lets me know he's doing well in there. Knowing that this is my last pregnancy, I know I won't be feeling those movements again after his birth. I'm good with that, two kiddos is good for me. But I might miss those kicks and flutters just a little.

Payperpost.com

As I've said before, I love to write. I love to sit at my computer and just let what's in my head, come out on the computer screen. Since I've been doing blog reviews, I've been getting to write more, which I realy enjoy. It's gives me something to do to occupy my time while I'm supposed to be resting before this baby arrives. There are a few different sites I have found that pay well for blog reviews. My new favorite though is Payperpost.com.

I can go on the website at any time of day or night and there are reviews available, whether it's naptime or the middle of the night when I have insomnia. I just select what I'd like to write about and then write my review. Within a couple days my review is approved and I know I will be paid for it. The posts pay well too, the highest paying posts I have accepted have come from Payperpost.com.

I found out about this website from someone else's review of it. I really thought what she was saying about it was too good to be true. It took me a little while to get set up with payperpost, the first review I wrote wasn't a very good paying one. But once I had finished that review and had it accepted, a whole bunch of other great opportunities opened up for me. Now I have no problem finding great paying reviews to write. I think blog marketing is great for anyone who enjoys writing and would like to make a little extra cash.

After I wrote my first few reviews and realized I could make some extra money, I sat down and made a goal for myself. I made our Christmas buying list for the kids and our family members and came up with a budget. My goal was to make enough reviewing blogs to cover our Christmas expenditures. We try really hard to not use our credit cards except in emergencies, and the same goes for taking money out of savings. Thanks to writing blog reviews, I have now made enough money that we can have a pretty nice Christmas without using savings or our credit cards.

Once we get through the new baby arriving and the holidays, I'll come up with a new goal of what I want to do with my extra blogging money. If you could use some extra cash for the holidays, or just need something to do with your spare time, go to Payperpost.com and register your blog. It's worth it!











Saturday, October 20, 2007

writing...

So am I a total dork because I actually like writing most of these blog reviews? It's fun for me. I get to go search the different topics available and then pick what I want to write about today. If I'm wishing I could go on a vacation, I can pick a review of a travel site. If I want to go shopping, I can review a shopping website. I can do as little or as much as I want every day. Yes, I'm sure there are people who don't read my blog as much now because of the paid posts, but I'm okay with that. Writing is a good outlet for me. Even if I'm just writing about where I'd like to go on my next vacation.

I know I'm not a great writer. There are some bloggers out there who should have a big career working in journalism. They write well and I really enjoy reading what they write about. I even enjoy reading their paid posts! LOL I am however an honest writer, and I tell things how I see them. If I think some website is krap, I'm probably going to say so. If I think a particular elected official is an idiot I'll probably tell you.

And I promise in two weeks I'll quit whining about being pregnant, and I'll start whining about not getting any sleep. But at least then I'll have baby pictures to share!! :-)

Shop till you drop!

I love to shop! Especially when it's online shopping and I don't have to leave my house. I am also always looking for the best deal. I am pretty much a cheap skate so I have definitely been known to spend a few minutes online looking around for coupons or codes so that I can save some money. With Coupon Chief I don't have to hunt all over the internet for codes.

With the baby arriving soon ( we hope! I can't handle being pregnant for much longer) I will not be doing much shopping at the mall for this Christmas. But I still need to buy great gifts for Jeff and Amelia and of course for baby Anthony and his first Christmas! I think the website couponchief.com and it's will really help me find some great deals this Christmas. I can get a great deal on toys for Baby Anthony and his big sister at KB Toys. And I can probably find a new TV for my hubby from Best Buy.

Maybe I can even find a few presents for myself!

Labor and Delivery Part 2

The kiddo is napping now so I should be able to finish this post without her assistance. :-)

So we dropped Amelia off at Kathy's and went to the hospital. I arrived at Labor and Delivery and the doctor working said, "oh you're my c section for this afternoon." My doctor had already called and talked to her, so they told us we'd have the surgery around 330. It was early in the day maybe 10 or 10:30 when we got to the hospital. They put me in a room in triage and hooked me up to the monitors. Baby was all over the place. The nurse got a urine sample and hooked me up to my FAVORITE machine, the blood pressure monitor. She set it to go off every 5 minutes. Oh the joy. I hate that thing.

They had one on me after I had Amelia and I hated it. I was recovering from surgery, had to have oxygen in my nose, had an IV in one arm, an oxygen monitor on one finger and a blood pressure cuff going off automatically every 10 minutes. Did I mention I was also trying to figure out breastfeeding for the first time? It pretty much sucked! Anyway, I just went off on a tangent there, sorry.

Where was I? Oh yeah the BP monitor. So I'm hooked up to the BP monitor. They had me give a urine sample and the nurse said someone from the lab would be coming to take blood. An hour later she came back and asked if the lab had come yet, I said no. Finally a couple hours after that the lab came and got my blood. Then around 2 PM the nurse comes back and says the labs are back, but they are waiting for the doctor to come back from lunch to look at them. Finally at 3 or so (a half hour before I'm supposed to be ready to have this baby!!) the doctor comes in and says I can go home. She told me that my BP was great, my labs were great and everything else looked fine. So I spent the whole day thinking I was going to have a baby, and I got sent home to be pregnant for two more weeks.

Stupid Kaiser.

Everything and the kitchen sink!


Last night Jeff and I were talking about what is the most important to us when we buy a house. The market here is slowly starting to go in our favor, and we're hoping it won't be long before we can afford something in an area we would actually like to live in. We both agreed that we'd probably rather find something that needs to be updated a little and redo it how we want it instead of paying more for a house that has already been redone in someone else's tastes.

Two of the things I can't wait to redo in my own house are the kitchen and the bathrooms. I have always liked Moen faucets. They are available in a variety of finishes, and I love the clean lines as well as the functionality. The faucet pictured above is an example of one of the beautiful Moen faucets available at Faucet.com. They have great prices and many beautiful products for your home.

I'm sure when we start redoing our own home, it will take a lot of time and money. Using faucet.com for their great prices will definitely save us some money. Maybe I can even afford to get granite counter tops!

Trip to Labor and Delivery Part 1.

Part 1 (Amelia is in bed with me helping me type, so I'm not sure how far I will get on this post before she needs my attention. LOL)

So I never posted much about what happened on Wednesday. I had a check up with my Doctor that morning. Amelia and I go in, and the first thing they have me do is pee on a stick and check my BP. My BP was high and there was protein in my urine. These are both signs of Pre Eclampsia which is something I had with Amelia. So I walk into my appointment and the doctor starts asking how I'm doing, I tell her I feel like krap, and that I'm really swollen. Then she looks at my chart on the computer and says "Your BP is high. You have protein in your urine. Can someone come pick Amelia up now so you can go have the baby?" I was like what? Then she asked if I had eaten breakfast. She then told me they couldn't do the surgery for 8 hours after I had eaten, so I probably had time to go drop her off somewhere and get to the hospital to get hooked up and start monitoring until it was time for the c section.

I called Jeff and Kathy (and most everyone else I knew). Jeff came and met me at home and we got our bags packed and went to drop Amelia off. By this time I am a little nervous, but mostly really happy that I am going to be done being pregnant and have my baby soon!

Amelia needs my attention now, I'll write more about this later on.

New Orleans




I have always wanted to visit New Orleans. It's one of those places I always assumed I'd get to sooner or later. In high school a few of my friends went, bringing back wonderful stories of cafe au lait and beignets from the French Quarter. When I was in college a few friends went for Mardi Gras. Looking back, I really wish I had gone too, it's so much easier to travel when you're young and kid free. However, that won't stop me from going one day!

New Orleans is a major US tourist destination, well known for it's unique culture, including the food architecture and music. The city is often considered the birthplace of Jazz music. Since Hurricane Katrina struck, New Orleans is not just one of the oldest cities in the US. It's also shown how strong the people are. Residents have returned and are still showing tourists what a great city New Orleans is.

Whenever I get the chance to visit a city, I love to go on tours and learn about the things I would have missed on my own. Tours are also a great way to save money, they often give you a great combination of activities for a low price. When I go to New Orleans, I will be using Trusted Tours to see the city. Of the many New Orleans Tours that are available, I think I am the most interested in the French Quarter Walking tour. It's only $22 and would give me a chance to really see the French Quarter. If you have a chance to visit this great city, go check out one of the tours from Trusted Tours, and let me know what you think. You won't be disapointed!



I am so close to having this baby!! Only 15 days to go. We had some drama and thought we were going to have him Wednesday but no luck. I'll post more about it later. Just thought I'd let you all know I'm still alive and well and very pregnant. :-)

Friday, October 19, 2007

The Stainless Steel Store


I came across this website this morning, and I love their products. The Stainless Steel Store is full of great products that I would love to have in my home. If I had the extra money to redo my house, I'd have all stainless steel appliances, as well as lots of stainless accessories.


The Stainless Steel Store had cool gadgets and products for every budget. Some of my favorites are the stainless steel basting brush which retails for under $10. Another thing I really like is the fondue set. It sells for just over $400, but it's beautiful. And it would look great sitting on a shelf on display, or on the table being used to make some chocolate fondue. Yummy! Besides the kitchen products, the stainless steel store carries products to decorate your house with, items for your garden, and a plethora of other things. Go check it out.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

TV Time

We are probably the only people left in Southern California, without an HDTV Television. I think it really bothers Jeff. Every time we go to any sort of electronics store, or Costco, or Sears, we have to stop and admire the LCD TV's. We've talked about buying a new TV for "the family" for Christmas, since we're not really doing presents for each other this year, and trying to do a small amount of presents for the kids.

It looks like we might be able to get a better deal online though. I just went to shopping.com's website, and they have a Sharp Aquos LC-37GD6U 37 in. HDTV LCD Television for only 699.95 plus shipping. That seems like a great deal to me! Most of the ones I've looked at are sold at a much higher rate, way over the thousand dollar mark. Even with shipping you'd probably still save by buying this TV online. It sure would make a nice Christmas present. (Email me for my address if you want to buy my husband one for Christmas. )

Friends

In the years I have been online, I have made many friends. Some, like the members from our playgroup, are people I see all the time. Others are people I have never met in real life, even though I feel like I've known them for years.

One of my oldest online friends is from New Zealand. I'd love to go meet her someday. If i were to go to New Zealand, I'd love to visit New Zealand's number one destination, Auckland. I'd go sailing, and enjoy all the other things this "City of Sails" has to offer. I'd also love to visit Waiheke Island.

If I ever get the chance to go visit I'd definitely be looking for Cheap Hotels in Auckland, and Cheap Hotels in New Zealand. So check out Auckland Accommodations from cheaperthanhotels.com if you're going to be traveling down under anytime soon!

Planned parenthood

I read lots and lots of blogs. I just read this article by RSG, and thought it was something worth sharing.

Here's the link to The I am Emily X blog

Are you ready for some football?



My husband loves sports. He is pretty good about not watching football and baseball and basketball constantly, but if the Jets are playing everything else in our house stops. Unless they start losing badly, then the TV is quickly turned off.


Unfortunately, it's not always easy to find sports memorabilia and clothes with New York team logos on them, out here in California. But I just found a website where I can buy all the Jets stuff Jeff could ever want. ShopWiki for Sports has everything you need for the sports lover in your house.

When I was pregnant with Amelia, Jeff wanted to get her a Yankees Jersey but we never found an infant one for her. So I think I'm going to get a few baby things with the Jets' or Yankees' logo. ShopWiki for Sports has plenty of baby merchandise with your favorite sports team logo emblazoned on the front. I found this outfit for Anthony that I will probably buy him for Christmas, although it's really a present for Daddy! I also found a Jets football pillow with a blankie attached. Every new baby needs a lovie to snuggle, instead of a bear or a bunny blankie, how about your favorite football team? Go visit ShopWiki for Sports and you won't be disappointed!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Most people who know me very well, know I'm not a big fan of George W. Bush. I try not to go on and on about it, because I think most people are starting to see it for themselves by this point, and if not, well then you have bigger problems than I can help you with.

But even for him this is pretty bad.

This was on GMA this morning



Here is another articleon the topic from 2005 when there were already 30 states involved in class action lawsuits against Arnall's company.

It totally makes sense. Thirty states have regulators investigating his company, Ameriquest, for predatory lending we should definitely make him an ambassador to the Netherlands. But then again, he was the Bush/Cheney campaign's biggest contributor. So I guess he deserves some compensation for that. Right?

As of now I think 49 states were involved in the lawsuit, and there are congressional hearings on the matter.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Ha ha. Amelia and Jeff love to watch this show.

Only 3 weeks

left until little Anthony arrives. I'm getting antsy. I want him to get here now, not in 3 weeks. I have an ultrasound tomorrow to see how big he is, they just want to make sure he is still growing okay. I have small utrasounds 2x a week though so I'm not too worried about it, they check the fluid levels and his position at my NST's.

I think I have finally completed everything on my to do list. I do still have to figure out where Anthony is going to sleep, but I think that we will probably go by how he sleeps once he gets here. We have a few bed options here for him. LOL

I am having contractions off and on, but never enough for me to go to Labor and Delivery. I get all excited thinking it might be time, and then it slows down again. I've even tried walking around disneyland hoping it would get things going, but no luck. Oh well at least I know I only have 21 days to go...

What's in your garage?


Our garage is a mess. It could really use some help. Between the tools, the old clothes that need to go to goodwill, the baby stuff waiting for a baby to arrive and all of craft stuff, I'm amazed there is room to park my van.

I just came across a website that we could really use to help get our garage organized. CarGuyGarage.com has over 1000 products that we could use to make our garage more functional. They carry everything from floor to ceiling to redo a garage. Cabinets, peg boards, and flooring are just a few of their many garage storage accessories.

I would love to completely redo our garage. I would put in all new cabinets like the ones above. Don't they look great? We could store so much more stuff and probably give Jeff a parking space as well. So if you're like me, and want to turn your garage into a functional room go visit CarGuyGarage.com!

Costco is evil

Not because the store itself is bad, but because I let my husband talk me into going there. And then we come home with 3000 things we didn't know we needed until we saw them at Costco! :-) Oh well, at least I got to check out all the cool Christmas stuff. I have all of our Christmas shopping lists done, now I just need to start picking things up. I'm hoping to get as much done as I can before Anthony arrives. So far so good!

One of these days...

Jeff and I need to take the kid(s) (it's so weird that soon there will be two of them!) to New York to see his family. Most of his family haven't met Amelia yet. I was pregnant with her at the last family gathering for Chris and July's wedding.

I have not yet been to New York, and would love to go one of these days. Some of the things I'd like to go see would be the normal tourist stuff The Statue of Liberty, the Empire State building (did you know it's 1,453 feet, 8 9/16th inches tall?) and of course Central Park. I asked Jeff what he'd like to take me to see if we make it out there in the near future, of course his mind went directly to sports, he'd like to drive upstate to Cooperstown to the Baseball Hall of Fame. That's my husband for ya! While we were there I'm sure we'd stay in some hotels in New York City. Half the fun of traveling is staying in a nice hotel! (Especially when you have little kids. It's so nice that someone else has to clean up after them and take out the trash when you're in a hotel! )

It would be nice to see his family as well, we don't get to travel and see people very often, we're pretty limited to the West Coast and Arizona relatives.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Crazy...



15-Truck Pileup Sparks Massive Tunnel Fire

2 Killed In Chain-Reaction Crash On California Interstate


(AP) A crash in a Southern California freeway tunnel quickly turned into a fiery, chain-reaction pileup that mangled several trucks, killed at least two people and shut down the key north-south route as the wreckage burned for hours.

Firefighters began hauling the mangled, blackened debris of more than a dozen big-rig trucks out of the tunnel Saturday afternoon. The crash late Friday involved at least 15 trucks and possibly one or more passenger cars, and sent people fleeing for their lives. At least 10 people were injured.

"It looked like a bomb went off," said Los Angeles County firefighter Scott Clark, one of about 300 firefighters who battled the blaze throughout the night.

California Highway Patrol Officer David Porter confirmed Saturday that the bodies of two crash victims had been found in the tunnel. He couldn't immediately say whether one was a trucker who had been listed as unaccounted for.

Firefighters were just starting to enter the tunnel Saturday afternoon and might find more bodies, said Ron Haralson, Los Angeles County Fire Department inspector.

The pileup in the southbound truck tunnel of Interstate 5 began about 11 p.m. Friday when two big rigs collided. As crashes continued throughout the tunnel, about an eighth of a mile long, five big rigs burst into flames and the fire quickly spread to others.

Firefighters estimated that at least 15 trucks were involved. The cause of the initial crash was being investigated, but authorities said it was raining at the time.

The charred skeletons of at least a half-dozen big rigs could been seen peeking out of the tunnel's south end Saturday. At least one was carrying produce, and a smoldering load of cabbages lay scattered across the pavement. A pile of charred truck debris protruded from a tunnel wall.

State transportation workers brought in heavy equipment and were helping firefighters haul away the blackened, twisted debris, Haralson said.

As the fire spread Friday night, flames shot out of both ends of the tunnel, rising as high as 100 feet into the air, firefighters at the scene said.

The intense heat caused concrete to crack and melt, sending chucks falling onto a road below throughout the night. Firefighters worried that the damage could cause parts of the tunnel to collapse, particularly if they were to allow many cars back onto a road that runs above it.

Interstate 5 is a key route connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco, as well as a major commuter link between Los Angeles and its northern suburbs. There are likely to be huge traffic jams in the area if it is still closed when people return to work Monday.

By Saturday afternoon, all of the flames appeared to have been extinguished, and firefighters went inside.

The canyon surrounding the tunnel remained filled with thick, acrid smoke, however, and until they examined the wreckage, firefighters said, they wouldn't be able to tell whether any trucks had been hauling toxic chemicals.

Shortly after the crash 20 people managed to run out of the fiery tunnel, including the 10 injured. Eight were reported to have minor injuries and two had moderate injuries. All were treated at hospitals, mainly for burns and neck and back injuries.

Although the tunnel is designed to carry truck traffic through a mountain pass area, Fire Inspector Jason Hurd said passenger cars may also use it, raising concerns that some might have been trapped inside.

"We're going to have to do a very methodical search," Tripp said. "There could be, unfortunately, more people that were not able to escape."

Hurd couldn't say when authorities might be able to reopen the section of freeway about 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.

"It could be another day, it could be days, it could be weeks," he said.

The section of freeway was shut down twice before, by earthquakes in 1971 and 1994, when large overpasses over canyons collapsed. The worst of the quakes, the Northridge quake of 1994, also damaged another nearby highway, snarling traffic throughout the area.


I got this from CBS News. Did I mention that I usually go that way, through the truck lanes? eep. They said on the news tonight that it will be Tuesday at least before the rest of the freeway is open. Should be fun for commuters come Monday...

A Vacation in Melbourne

Thursday, October 11, 2007

I had another NST today. We left the house at 8 AM, and didn't get back home until 1130. All these appointments are wearing me out!

All was well at today's checkup. Anthony has definitely dropped down lower than he was earlier in the week. Both nurses had a hard time finding him at first. The first one doing the NST moved the belt around all over then moved it way down there. Oh my he's very low isn't he? He's dropped down since you were here Monday! The nurse who the ultrasound said the same thing. She said the cramping and discomfort will probably get worse because he is so low he's putting more pressure on everything. I'm having contractions off and on, but not close enough together to make anything happen. I have an US on Monday to see how big he is, I have a feeling he is going to be a chunk compared to his sister. But then again I think I'm 2 weeks ahead of where they say I am so if that's true, he'll be 41 weeks at the c section.
24 days and counting!!

So um, are ya'll sick of hearing about my upcoming baby yet? Cause I'm ALMOST sick of talking about it constantly. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of other stuff to talk about lately. I am now going to the hospital or to see the doctor 3x a week. That takes up a lot of time. And Amelia is fascinated with babies in all shapes and sizes. She told me this morning to get the baby out of my tummy now, it was time to wake him up. LOL I still need to get her a present for when she comes to see us at the hospital, maybe I'll get her a new baby doll since we lost her other one, and she keeps trying to steal dolls from other people's houses.

In other (still baby) news, my mom and Grandma booked their tickets to come visit when the baby is born. They're not coming for a few weeks after, but I should be recovered enough to be ready to have a decent visit by then.

I'm still wondering if I will make it to the scheduled c section date. Things seem to be happening down there. I've been awfully crampy off and on, and sometimes I swear he is trying to climb out all by himself. Well I better go get Amelia some breakfast so we can leave for today's appointments. Oh the excitement! :-)

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

My sweet girl

Amelia is in love with babies. She knows there is a baby in my tummy, but she also thinks there is a baby in her tummy. I'm thinking she is getting the idea a little more today though. I've been trying to get her ready for me to go to the hospital and have him, and for her to go to Kathy's house for a few days. So anyway earlier today I asked her to go into her room to do something, and she told me no. She said she wanted to stay here and talk to "Amphony" as she calls him. Then she told me he was sleeping, and he was ready to come out now. She said "lets go mama. I go a hospital, and baby Amphony come out of your tummy." Awwww what a sweet girl. Poor kid has no idea what she's in for when this baby arrives!

We have a date!!

Unless I go sooner, we will have a bouncing baby boy in 25 days. Wooohooo

Toys Part II


So I may have mentioned once or twice that I love toys. I can't help it! I'm just a big kid at heart.

I know Anthony is only going to be a month old come Christmastime, but I can't wait until he is bigger and I can buy him toys like the remote control fire truck shown above. I was just on Shopping.com checking out toys for Christmas presents and I found the RC Cars. They have every kind of RC vehicle a child could want. I found a blackhawk helicopter, a hovercraft, speed boats, race cars and even remote control construction equipment.

I think Amelia would love any of the vehicles, I can just see her driving them all over my house trying to run over her baby brother, trip her Daddy. The toys sure look like fun though!

Macpokeronline.com

I found a new website today that I thought some of you might be interested in. It's called MacPokerOnline. I don't have a Mac, so it's not a real necessity for me to find a Mac friendly website, but I understand the problems that some Mac users have.

Some of the things I really like about this site though is it has lots of information if you are new to playing poker in general. It has the rules for all the different kinds of poker, including Texas Hold em and 7 card stud.

Besides the rule guide, there are also tips on poker strategy. If you're a Mac user who wants to play Poker online, go check out this website. They have reviews of different poker sites, so you can find out what's best for you. They review sites such as FullTilt Poker and Pacific Poker.

Overall this looks like a great informative website for Mac users, and even for people who aren't on a Mac.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Wish me luck!

Amelia and I are off to my 36 week check up. We should get a date for the surgery today. I hope I hope I hope. Just having an end date in sight will make me feel so much better.
I've got lots of stuff going on this week. And, I'm tired.

Yesterday I had a NST. In the morning I started having vertigo really badly. Every time I'd change position I'd feel like I was spinning. So, I mentioned it at my NST and got some flack for having driven myself there that way. Don't know how else I was supposed to get there. Baby was good, although it took him a little longer to finish the test. Not because he wasn't active, but because he was all over the place, they needed him to calm down so they could get his baseline heartbeat. Uh oh, he's already like his sister won't calm down! LOL

So Jeff came and got me from my appointment since they didn't want me to drive. Then he went and picked Amelia up from Kathy's house. It was nice that he was able to take the afternoon off to make sure I was okay, but sometimes it's easier to deal with Amelia and the house on my own. She gets so excited when Daddy is around, that she gets a little wound up. LOL And I still had to make dinner. I think he was home for moral support and to make sure I wasn't going to pass out or something. :-)

Uhoh, Amelia is quiet, I'll be back to post more later.

Houses

For the most part, I love the condo we live in. We are in a nice little neighborhood. The area is pretty quiet, our condo complex is small. There aren't a bunch of crazy kids running around destroying stuff. (Yes I'm a parent, doesn't mean I like kids running amok where I live.) As far as I know, amelia is the only kid in the complex. As much as we love living here, our goal is to buy a house, not rent forever. It really bothers me knowing we are spending $20k+ a year on someone else's mortgage. And if I don't like something I can't just change it since it's not my house.

So far, it seems like the market here in SoCal is ready to take a dive. I feel bad for all the people who bought high, and can't afford what they have, but well I guess you live and learn. All that being said, if prices come down just a little bit, we can afford the kind of place we'd like to own, not just a 2 bedroom condo in the ghetto. Because of the forecasted downturn in our local market, I've been checking out all of our options for realtors and homes for sale. National Relocation seems to have a lot of information, I'm sure I'll be using them to keep researching our options. They also have info on houses for rent.

DentalPlans.com

Teeth are so important. And because they aren't generally covered under normal health insurance plans, taking care of your teeth can be costly. I came across a website today that could be beneficial to you if you don't have dental insurance.

If you're looking for a dental savings plan, go see the many Dental Plans available.

The DentalPlans.com website looks very simple to use, and it seems to have lots of information and options. If you'd rather talk to someone, their website also has contact information so you can give them a call toll free.

If you're not sure if a Dental plan is right for you, check out their FAQ's section for more information. And whether you have dental insurance, or a dental plan, remember to take care of your teeth!

Shower time!




I love weddings. It's probably the whole idea of a new adventure. For us, the wedding was a whole new adventure in our life, since we moved to a new area, got married, and started new jobs, all in the course of 2 weeks.

Because we were moving, from The bay area to Southern California, and got married in Las Vegas, there were lots of friends who didn't get to come to the wedding. Most of the girls did come to my surprise shower though. It was so much fun! I wish I had pictures to share, but none of them are saved online. Anyway. I was cruising through a list of review topics this morning and saw one for bridal shower invitations. And I remembered how much fun I had at my own shower, so I took a look at their website. I haven't ordered anything (all of my friends are married already! LOL) but it looks like they have a lot of unique wedding shower invitations. I am all about the cutesy invitations, and thank you cards, and all of that stuff for any event. If you're like me and love that stuff, go check out some of these bridal invitiations from Moz Invitations. (They also have baby announcements which I think I will be ordering!)

Saturday, October 06, 2007


This is what happens when Amelia finds my lip gloss. At least it matches her shirt! :-)

CashAdvance1500.com

Let me start off by saying, I'm not normally a proponent of cash advance services. People have to be very careful and do their research, so they know what they are getting into, and be sure they can meet the requirements for pay back.

However, I know that we all have those moments where the car dies, or someone has an unexpected trip to the ER, and you have to choose between paying the bills or paying your mortgage. If you find yourself in that situation and need a little help getting to the next paycheck, go visit CashAdvance1500.com. They offer payday loans.

There are some things you need to know before you start the process. First off, have all your paperwork ready. You need your last pay stub, as well as your bank account information. When you go to fill out paperwork, check and double check all of your information. Someone will verify it, if you put down things that are inaccurate your chances for getting the loan are not as good. You also need to have had a job for at least 3 months in a row, have a valid checking account for 3 months, as well as make at least $1000 a month. If you meet these qualifications and are really in a bind, go check out CashAdvance1500.com

TutorVista.com

Do you have kids? Kids that are struggling with one or more subjects in school? Are you trying to get them ready for tests like the ACT and SAT's? Then I have a website you should visit. TutorVista.com offers online tutoring in multiple subjects, inlcuding English, Math, Science and many more.

For one low monthly fee, you and your child will get access to certified TutorVista tutors who are available 24 hours a day. Tutors hold graduate degress, and undergo months of training.

So whether your child is struggling with Algebra or needs some homework help, you should go visit TutorVista. They even have a free trial period, with no credit card required. They have also been featured on the Today Show.

Friday, October 05, 2007

Baby Belly....


36 Weeks or so...

And this is an awful picture. Amelia took it. LMAO

I generally lay out Amelia's clothes the night before or first thing in the morning, and she is supposed to get dressed. I guess she didn't like what was out today, this is what she wore instead. Minnie costume that fit her last Halloween, and pirate minnie ears.

Grrr

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a little bit obsessive about my bank accounts. When I was younger my mom helped me open a checking account. Before doing so, she made sure I understood that since she was on the checking account, that if I screwed up, I probably wouldn't survive. Being young and poor, I had to keep it accurately balanced at all times, for fear that I would screw up, and she would get me. LOL

Well I'm a little older now, and we have a little more money (savings accounts! Imagine that??) Anyway, I am still pretty anal about my accounts. I can usually tell you how much is in our main account to within a few dollars, as well as how much will be in there when everything outstanding clears. I'm pretty sure this drives Jeff crazy. He is more of the spend now, see what's left later kinda person. I will call him and harass him at work "Did you go to such and such for lunch today? Just making sure it's you." (He is awful at remembering to tell me when he uses the bank card. So when I get irritated with him for not telling me, he resorts to using a credit card which irritates me even more.) Getting off track again, sorry, anyway, I know I'm irritating him when he responds that he is still at said restaurant trying to eat that food. LOL

Anyway the point of this whole story is, wait, what was the point? Oh yeah to tell you that I watch our accounts like crazy, if we have extra money, it goes to another account, I don't leave much extra in our checking account. So a few days ago I notice that there is $80 less than there should be. After some researching I find out it's a recurring charge for a gym membership that Jeff canceled a while ago, and we should not be charged any more for it.

Because of this charge our account has $9 in it. I talk to jeff, he says he can't remember anything else he did so it should be okay, we had money coming in the next morning. our account can be at $9 for a few hours right? WRONG! I go in to check the account the next morning, and while the deposit did go through, there was also another debit that went through before the credit. So of course the bank took money from another account. (At least they didn't charge me to transfer funds!) Anytime it goes under $0 they automatically transfer $100. Wanna guess how much negative our account was? 1 cent. My balance was -$.01 Darn it. Why couldn't Jeff have spent 1 penny less on his lunch that day? LOL

Well I've been up for a few hours now, Amelia and Jeff should be getting up soon, maybe I'll try and get some sleep before they all wake up....

Just one more

I'm going to post just one more travel blog about one of my dream vacations. Some day when my kids are grown, and Jeff is retired we can travel. I have never been to anywhere in Europe, but I would sure love to go to Spain some day!

My ideal trip would involve lots of cultural stops. I'd love to visit the The Medieval Towns and Villages Route that goes from the Basque Country to Extremadura. I'd much rather visit small, out of the way, old places than go to the same tourist spots that everyone sees.

I'd also stop in two major cities, Madrid and Barcelona. If you ever make it to Spain, send me a postcard, and check out Hotels in Madrid or Hotels in Barcelona. Or if you want the Spanish version check out Hoteles en Barcelona.

CoverMyBoat


I can't sleep tonight, so I guess I will write for a while!

I grew up on the Long Beach Peninsula in Southwest Washington. Although it's a peninsula, there is water on all 4 sides, the Pacific Ocean to the West, the Columbia River to the South and the Willapa bay to the North and East. The South East corner is just barely attached to the rest of Washington state.

Water was everywhere, and a majority of the local industries depended on it. Fishing, crabbing and oysters were (and probably still are) some of the major industries. With water being everywhere, many families had boats, whethere it was for work or recreational use. Until I left the area I didn't know how lucky I was. As an adolescent we were always out in the bay. We would go out in kayaks (without adult supervision or life jackets! can you imagine?).

If you have a boat, or are looking for marine insurance go check out boat insurance from CoverMyBoat.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

I can't decide

what dress to get Amelia for Christmas.

Anthony will have this color outfit

with a grey vest and cordoroy pants ( look further down for that post.)

These are the two I'm looking at.




Opinions please?( And no lectures about the price of Gymbo dresses please! LOL) I have coupons!! LMAO

RealTravel

I just found a really cool website. It's for the traveler ( are you noticing a theme in my blog lately? I think I'm ready to go off on some big adventure about now!) I got destracted there for a minute, sorry.

Anyway, the name of the travel guide site is RealTravel. And instead of going to the site and having some organization tell you where you should go and what you should do, RealTravel let's other users give you the best info.

You can learn from real people and their travel reviews, post to your own free travel blog, and use the free trip planner.

Uh oh...

It's time for Gymbucks again. I haven't been feeling very good, so I didn't plan to go to the store at all, just thought I'd buy a few things online. Well it's been killing me that I haven't bought anything fun for the baby yet. ( cribs and changing tables don't count! LOL) Everyone else has got to go buy him cute clothes. So I bought him a Christmas ensemble today.