Some pics from the new house

We're in the new condo now. I love it already. :-)

First one is Amelia in the living room, next are roses I cut from our yard this morning, then is my little gardener playing in the dirt, and the last one is the patio outside my bedroom.

My silly kid

Amelia likes to scream. Not like I'm pissed and crying screams, but just a loud scream to hear her own voice. The screaming really bothers Jeff and he is always trying to get her to stop. So her new trick is to shush herself. She will do a loud shriek, then put her finger up to her mouth and say Shhhh. So funny.

Oh and we could use some good thoughts again for Earl. (He's the one with lung cancer) Anyway, he's not doing great and it looks like he might have to go into a home. Grandma just can't take care of him on her own. She's 75 and can't lift him if he falls. They have stopped the chemo since it was making him so tired, but even with that out of his system he doesn't seem to be getting any better.

So what do you all think? Should I leave my blog with or without music? I turned it off for now, for Sophia so can read in peace. :-)

Only 2 days to go until move day! The house is coming along pretty well. I'm working on packing still but it's getting there. I'm just about out of boxes so hopefully I'll be done soon. The new carpet is in at the condo, it looks great. The carpet dudes left a lot of marks on the baseboard in Amelias room, I'm hoping there is some paint floating around still so I can touch it up. I'm taking a break from packing and reading blogs. I found this and had to share. LOL

Only 2 days to go until move day! The house is coming along pretty well. I'm working on packing still but it's getting there. I'm just about out of boxes so hopefully I'll be done soon. The new carpet is in at the condo, it looks great. The carpet dudes left a lot of marks on the baseboard in Amelias room, I'm hoping there is some paint floating around still so I can touch it up. I'm taking a break from packing and reading blogs. I found this and had to share. LOL

Only 2 days to go until move day! The house is coming along pretty well. I'm working on packing still but it's getting there. I'm just about out of boxes so hopefully I'll be done soon. The new carpet is in at the condo, it looks great. The carpet dudes left a lot of marks on the baseboard in Amelias room, I'm hoping there is some paint floating around still so I can touch it up. I'm taking a break from packing and reading blogs. I found this and had to share. LOL

Create Your Own!

First week weight loss

I love how when I get back to eating healthy, I lose a huge amount the first week. 6.6 pounds. wahoo. Now if only I could lose like that every week. I'd be at goal in no time. lol

new house pictures

I know everyone else is just as excited as I am that we are moving. We went and measured at the new condo yesterday, and I took a few pictures. The green carpet in the pics will be gone before we move in, it will be just a nice neutral color.

Purple anyone? This is the master bedroom and bath. It's pretty bright. The colors are okay, but I'm not sure how I feel about them in my bedroom. I'm not sure if i want to mess with painting though.

IT's not as bad in real life as it looks in the pictures, and it is a nice sized bedroom. I also love the two closets.






here is a picture of the livingroom entry way.

I have been a bad blogger ever since I got back home. Not sure what thats about. And now I have an excuse, my computer died. I'm going to try and reinstall windows, but I'm not real hopeful that will work. I think my hard drive is toast.

Onto another topic, since I'm back home, I'm back on track with my diet. I know I shouldn't call it a diet, it has to be a life style change, but I still call it a diet. Even when I'm not strictly following my diet, I can tell how much my eating has changed. I'm about 5 pounds above the lowest weight I got to, not bad for a month of stress filled eating. It's always hard for me when I'm away from home. It was hot at mom's so I wasn't as good at cooking as I am at home. ( Mom doesn't have AC, so when it's 98 degrees out, the stove does not come on.) At home when it's hot I just turn on the air when I turn on the oven. LOL So anyway, I'm going to start over with my eating. I'm going through all the beginning weight watchers stuff to get my head in the right place. Monday will be my weigh in day. I'm also going to start a new weight loss ticker. I see that I'm down 60 pounds, and I get complacent. Maybe seeing myself starting at 0 will make me less so. I did some yoga this morning. It's a great one to do with Amelia helping, much easier than doing kickboxing with a toddler.

I'm hoping that once I get moved, I can go walking with kathy and maybe Stacy more often. It's always so much easier to work out when I have someone I have to meet there. Who knows, maybe we'll even get to the gym together.

I'm really excited about our upcoming move. Well I'm excited about the condo, not excited about actually moving. Moving stresses me out. I keep trying to get jeff to understand that it really overwhelms me and I need his help. So far thats not going so well, but I'm sure at the last minute he'll have all this energy and be throwing stuff in boxes like a mad man. Which is a good thing, by then I'll be so sick of boxes and packing tape that I won't even mind. LOL

I'm stuck home during the day right now, Jeff got into a car accident. Insurance is taking care of it all, but right now I"m stuck home carless, since he has to have a vehicle for work. I'm contemplating renting a car, but it seems wasteful since I don't HAVE to drive anywhere. And stuff is close, in theory I could walk to the grocery store with Amelia in the stroller.

Yes we're still alive!

Amelia and I are still in Oregon. The trip has gone really well but we both miss Jeff a lot. At least Amelia is able to talk to him every day on the phone. Sarah is finally going to be induced on Saturday so we should be able to head home a few days after that.

I promise once I get back I'll check everyone's blogs, and get caught up on my reading. :-)

Sick kid

My poor kiddo has been sick. Not sure what she has, one of her playgroup friends has hand foot and mouth disease. Amelia had the high fever and the not wanting to eat, but she has not developed any soars. She is getting better each day, and the fever has gone down. I'm hoping to get her into the doctor tomorrow just to check her out.

In other news, I worked out Sunday and today. I did weights for 30 minutes today, and did 30 minutes of cardio yesterday. Yay me.

It's Friday

We had a surprise shower for two of the mom's from playgroup today. It was a lot of fun. I love going to Kathy's house because I know it's really kid friendly, and Amelia has so much fun. Kathy is such a good hostess, she's the mommy to all the other mommies.

The kids all did such a great job today, (even without the pool in action) and I loved getting to hold baby Chance. He is almost 3 months old, and such a little doll. I ate a lot of krap today. Thats alright though, I'm starting over right now.

Working out

I actually worked out yesterday. I did 30 minutes of cardio (kickboxing thanks to FitTV)

Let's see how I do today.

I'm melting...

I am so over this heat.

It was 107 on Saturday. One oh seven. According to this site with humidity it felt like 115. I live pretty close to the beach. Imagine how much life sucks for the poor people further inland. Up in the valley, it was something like 119. And it's been humid. Humid and sticky. Bleh. I think I'm moving to Alaska.

Tomorrow we're going to a park with the playgroup to play in the water. Hopefully it goes well. It should be cooled off a bit from the weekends temperatures.

Things are not going so well for me with my dieting. No matter how well I eat, if I don't work out, I don't lose very well. I have to work out more. It's hard to get motivated when it's over 100 degrees outside though. I need to start working out earlier in the day. Right now I try and do it at nap time, which is the hottest time of the day.

I'm stealing this from football widow's blog.

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops? No

2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters?Yes, when I ride them. I'm not a rollercoaster gal.

3. When's the last time you've been sledding? In Junrior High.

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone? With someone else.

5. Do you believe in ghosts? Yes

6. Do you consider yourself creative? Sometimes.

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife? Yes

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie? Jen

9. Do you stay friends with your exes? Other than the sporadic email, nope.

10. Do you know how to play poker? Of course. Gotta love playing poker in Tahoe to see who gets to sleep in the good beds.

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight? Yes

12. What's your favorite commercial?The identity theft ones, I think they are citibank.

13. What are you allergic to? Stupid people

14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around do you run red lights? Nope

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you? Nope

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees? I'll say the yankees to make my hubbie happy.

17. Have you ever been Ice Skating? Yes

18. How often do you remember your dreams? A lot

19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried? I"m sure it was with my sister. We always get each other going.

20. Can you name 5 songs by The Beatles? Sure.

21. What's the one thing on your mind now? I don't want to have to pack again. LOL

22. Do you know who Ghetto-ass barbie is?Yes

23. Do you always wear your seat belt? Eventually, sometimes it takes me a mile or two to remember...

24. What cell service do you use? Cingular

25. Do you like sushi? Yes.

26. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident? Yes.

27. What do you wear to bed? Pj's

28. Been caught stealing? Nope.

29. What shoe size do you have? 9 or so
30. Do you truly hate anyone? Yes.

31. Classic Rock or Rap? Classic Rock.

32. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be? I don't know

33. Favorite Song? I don't know.

34. Have you ever sang in front of the mirror? Of course.

35. What food do you find disgusting? olives.

36. Do you sing in the shower? Yes.

37. Did you ever play, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours"? Yes

38. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back? I'm sure I did when I was younger.

39. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew? Yes

40. Have you ever been punched in the face? Yes. By my sister. LOL

We're moving...

We got that condo we liked. We'll move in the end of September if all goes well. We went and saw it today and loved it.

She has all of the rooms in the house painted, and it looks really nice, hardly any white walls. :-) The living areas are bigger, and Amelias room is smaller than what we have now, which is perfect for us. There are ceiling fans in both bedrooms and the dining room. There is also new hardwood. No more carpet in the dining room. Yippee. :-)

The owner was going to repaint the smaller bedroom anyway, so she said she will paint it for me if I just pick out a color. Yay. Now I have to decide on a color.

More Amelias room

I'm having fun looking at stuff to put in Amelias room. I know I'll probably change my minds 20 times before I'm ready to actually do her room, but thats okay.



I like this bed.

...and this bed as well.

and I really like this rug. ( Thanks Robyn!)

My kid is still tiny so it will probably be quite a while before she is ready to move out of the toddler bed, but thats okay. :-)

Keep your fingers crossed...

I think we found a place! It's a condo in Orange, and we're going to go see it tomorrow. It's 2 bedroom 2 bath and in our price range. It looks nice from the pictures, and it's closer to my friends and to Jeff's work. Think good thoughts for us! :-)

Today is my blah day. Jeff has been working a ton, in the last 3 days he has done at least 19 hours of OT ( he's still at work now) and it's messing with my routines, and Amelia. She's used to seeing Daddy every day, and I know she misses him. And for some reason I've been thinking about my Dad a lot the last few days. Thats bringing me down some too. I'm getting ready to go to Oregon for a few weeks, that's always full of drama. Bleh.

On a better note, I'm starting to find some rental listings in our price range up in HB and LB. Woohoo.

My kid is going to be up in 7.5 hours, I gotta go to bed. Why oh why must she wake up at 6 am every morning? It's kind of cute, she gets out of bed and sits inside her bedroom door and she knocks. I hear knock knock knock. Then, "Hi mommy. Hi mommy. Hi mommy." Then knock knock knock. Then we go back to Hi mommy. Then she starts jiggling the door knob when she gets really mad. I know it won't be long before she is escaping from her bedroom on her own...

Time for a change...

I got my hair cut this weekend, what do ya think? I think I like it, it always takes me a while to be sure. LOL







This picture cracked me up. I took it while driving on the freeway ( actually Jeff was driving, no I wasn't trying to drive and snap pictures) anyway, it's a housing community right on the freeway.














Here is a closeup. Check out the starting prices. Only in SoCal, does a housing community in Santa Ana that has views of the freeway, cost this much. ( You might have to click on the picture to get a clear view of the price.)


































... I looked at the website, that starting price of 1 million, will get you a 3 bedroom 3.5 bath house. With a compact 2 car garage. And judging by how close together they look, they will probably have next to nothing for a yard. And a huge HOA fee. Am I the only one who thinks thats just rediculous??? Why do people pay that for a house?

Amelias bedroom

If we stay in this apartment, I'm trying to figure out how to decorate AMelia's room. I'd like to paint her room, but I'm not sure what to do. We have vaulted ceilings in both bedrooms. I think it goes from 8 feet on one side, to 14 feet on the other. I think I'd have issues trying to paint all the way up to the 14 foot side. I'm thinking about doing a border at chair rail height and only painting up to the border.

I really like this green color but I'm wondering if it's too boyish. Anyone have any advice or ideas on decorating a kid's room? I'm clueless! I think I want to avoid a pink room.















Although, this pink room is cute. Maybe pink isn't so bad.



















This is cute too.

The cost of living in SoCal

So I know that all of you know, that I love to bitch about the cost of living in SoCal, especially here in OC. It's just rediculous. The median home price is something like 650k. The things we can afford, are not places I want to live. I don't want to pay $350k to live in a 900 square feet condo in the ghetto. Or move so far out that Jeff is commuting 2 hours each way and we don't see him.

So, we know we'll be renting for a while. Right now we live in South OC, and I was really hoping to move further north, closer to our friends, and closer to LA for Jeff. But so far, it looks like it's just not going to happen. Since we've been in this townhouse, I've gotten a bit more picky. I like my washer and dryer. I don't want to give it up. I like having 2+ bathrooms. When I look in HB everything is small (we have 1250 square feet now) and no washer and dryer hookup. I was hoping to find a house to rent, but most of what Im finding is way over the 2k a month mark. Sorry but I refuse to pay over $2000 a month in rent. If it was a house payment of our own it would be different. It's bad enough paying nearly that much for our townhouse now. We thought we might be able to find something suitable in Long Beach, but so far nothing up there is under 2000 either.

Oh well at least I don't have to pack and unpack right???

It's hot

Now, I realize I live in Southern California, and part of that is heat. That being said, why does it have to be so hot? I didn't think Aliso Viejo would be that much hotter than HB was, but apparently it is. In fact it's usually about 9 degrees hotter according to weather.com. At least we have central AC here.

Saturday it's supposed to be 96. And according to the weather guy on channel 9 it's also supposed to get really humid on Saturday.

I've decided I'm moving back to Oregon. There are some hot days there, but then it cools off in between. I don't like this hot every day stuff. Now if I could just convince my husband... LOL If certain members of my family didn't live in Oregon, he might be more agreeable. ( No mom I don't mean you!)

Whining over.

On another note, I got my first electric bill since we started using the AC. It was only $50 above normal. Wahoo. Now I can crank that baby up without feeling guilt. I try to leave it set at 78 and only turn it down when necessary. The problem is the thermostat is downstairs, which means if it's 78 downstairs, its about 85 upstairs. Which means I never really leave it at 78. LOL Shhh don't tell Jeff though.

One upside to the hot weather is I have been just hanging a lot of our clothes up on the drying rack in the laundry area. It's so hot out there stuff dries in a couple hours, which is great for the gas bill, and it's better for the clothes too. Amelias stuff seems to hold up better when I don't dry it in the dryer every time.

Her hair is almost clean!

We actually got most of the gunk out of her hair. I'm going to try washing it again this morning and see if we can get the rest out. Click here to see pictures of Amelia covered in the cornstarch we used to absorb the aquaphor.

My daughter still has a totally greasy hair. I'm sure someday I'll think it's funny, just not yet...I have washed her hair 7 times since yesterday. I have tried selson blue, dish soap and then just her regular shampoo. I tried combing it out with a small comb. I'm not sure what else to try. It's really driving me crazy. I'm sure people who see her think I don't bathe my child. That or I just take her out with wet hair. Cause her hair, pretty much, looks wet.

Then, we got home tonight and couldn't turn onto our street. There was a big old wreck, they think it was a drunk driver that caused it. An older couple's caddy had gone clear up on the sidewalk the front end was up on a decorative wall...they were still getting people out of that car when we got home. I can hear them out there now trying to get the cars on to the tow trucks. It's very loud.

Toddler for sale... Cheap!*

Some days are better than others. Yesterday we had playgroup. I love playgroup. Amelia gets some great interaction with the kids, and we have a great group of moms. We get to sit around and BS and try to not eat the cinamon rolls that people bring, while the kids have a great time. The first half of the day was good. Then we got home.

The princess was supposed to be asleep. Apparently she has figured out how to open drawers and climb up her dresser. When I went to get her up from her nap she had covered her body in aquaphor. (a diaper cream thats like vaseline.) She had also covered her hair, and her closet door, and her bathroom door and some of the carpet. She was in her room for no more than an hour, and I never heard a peep. She usually starts hollering or yelling Hi Mommy when she wakes up. I was in the living room below her and didn't hear her walking around or jumping on and off the dresser. So I have now washed her hair 4 times. She is currently in there getting her hair washed again. I don't know how to get this stuff out. I think I'm going to try the selson blue dandruff shampoo. Thats what the doctor had us use when she had cradle cap.

After the aquaphor incident, we had another one involving the cat tree. We have a big cat tree, kitty condo, whatever you want to call it in the living room. Amelia has been trying for a while to figure out how to climb up to the first level. Well yesterday she pulled one of her toys over and got up on the first level. Then she tried to climb down through the hole and got stuck. Not a little bit stuck. but completely stuck. She slid down and had her arms and upper body sticking out the top and her belly stuck below. I had to turn the thing over on it's side and pull her out. It took me at least 10 minutes to get her out. Jeff was off in LA working and didn't get home until after she went to bed. I think I need a vacation...

*This is a joke. I do not want to now, nor have I ever seriously considered wanting to sell my child.

More 4th of July pics

So for some reason, only a few of my pictures went up in my last blog entry, so here are a few more. Sometimes I think blogger just doesnt like me.

4th of July

We had a pretty good holiday weekend. Jeff was off all 4 days so it was nice to have him home. We spent a lot of time outside playing. We went to one of the local parks on the 4th and Amelia had a great time. She was running all over the place. We left before the fireworks, she was pretty tired. Oh well, we had fun anyway.

Here kitty kitty...

We went for a walk tonight after dinner, we just wandered around our complex and let Amelia lead. She loves to walk along all the sidewalks and stop and look at plants and leaves and stuff. We were almost back home when she saw a lizard. For some reason this lizard wasn't scared of her so much, and he just sat there. She even sat down on the ground next to him, and started calling him "kitty". All animals are called, kitty, puppy or baby. She was pretty excited and just kept yelling kitty and pointing at him. I was envisioning her trying to pick it up when Jeff finally shooed "kitty" off the sidewalk. She stood there for a minute calling him to come back but he didn't so we continued our walk.

In the Mirror

My pregnancy group does a "Theme Thursday" picture every week. So, I thought I'd start posting some of the pictures here. This weeks theme is in the mirror.

They got Earl's test results back, he has lung cancer, it has spread to his lymph nodes. They are going to start chemotherapy soon, but they can't cure it, just slow it down.

Amelia's Creed

I stole this from Tasha's blog, but it's sooooo true.

I'M A TODDLER

If it's on, I must turn it off.
If it's off, I must turn it on.
If it's folded, I must unfold it.

If it's high, it must be reached.
If it's shelved, it must be unshelved.
If it's pointed, it must be fun with at top speed.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it's plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it's not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it's in the trash, it must be removed, inspected,
And thrown on the floor.
If it's closed, it must be opened.
If it doesn't open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
If it's a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator,
Computer monitor, or table.
If it's full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it's empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it's a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
If it's a stroller, it must under no circumstances be
Ridden in without protest and must be pushed by me Instead.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must
Walk alone.
If it's paper, it must be torn.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it's YOUR toothbrush, it must be inserted into MY
Mouth.
If it's MY toothbrush, it must be inserted into YOUR
Mouth.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full
Force.
If it's a phone, I must talk into it, unless there is
Someone on the other end.
If it's a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it's not food, it must be tasted.
If it's food, it must NOT be tasted.
If it has a tail, I must yank it.
If Mommy wants me to come, I must run away.
If Mommy wants me to go away, I must CLING ON FOR DEAR LIFE.
If it's sticky, it must go in my hair.
If it's bath time, I must run around naked until I'm
Caught

Still no news..

Earl's appointment got changed to next Monday, apparently the doctor is still waiting on some results.

It looks like everything will work out just fine with Jeff's job allowing me to be able to stay home still with no problems. Yippee.

Here is a picture of Amelia yesterday morning. See the big boo boo on her nose? She got in a fight with the sidewalk outside Old Navy. The sidewalk won.

Enough already

Haven't the last few months been hard enough? Earl ( who is basically my Grandpa he has been with my Grandma since before I was born) was diagnosed with cancer yesterday. The surgeon said it's probably not one they can remove, so he will meet with his regular doctor later this week to look at other forms of treatment. He is 87 and if orneriness counted for physical strength he could beat anything. I'm not sure that it does though. I really worry about Grandma, as much as she gets irritated with Earl and his orneriness, I don't think she'll know what to do with herself when he is gone some day. It makes me think more about losing Mom and Grandma someday and that scares me too.

Strawberry picking at Tanaka farms

On the Wagon Ride to the strawberry patch


















Covered in strawberries. She was running up and down the field ripping strawberries off the plants. :-)





















It was a long hot day in the sun. Time for a nap! :-)

The big girl bed!

She did it again

After her nap she did the same thing, going to her changing table and opening her diaper drawer. I asked her if she needed a new diaper and she said "yeah, yeah yeah." LOL She was right, she was poopy again.

Potty Training

I know Amelia is way too young to potty train. However, today I think she actually "told me" she had a poopy diaper and needed to be changed. I put her down for her nap and apparently she pooped right away. She didn't go right to sleep. Instead she started screaming and crying at her bedroom door, yelling Mama mama mama mama. LOL As soon as I opened her door, she ran over to her changing table/dresser and opened the drawer with her diapers. I tried to go put her in her bed, and she said No mama. She got down went to her changing table again, and opened the same drawer. I asked her if she needed to be changed. She said Yeah Mama. Sure enough she was poopy. I changed her diaper and put her in her bed. She laid down with her blankies and pillow and I didn't hear another peep out of her.

When did they get so smart?

When did my sweet little baby turn into a full blown, way smarter than her mommy, toddler? It seems like she was my little bug, snuggling up on my shoulder just last week. Now she is everywhere and into everything.

She has managed to crawl out of her crib, and is now in a "big girl" bed. Her bedroom and bathroom are as babyproofed as I can get them, so she can safely wander around her room without getting hurt, if she decides to get out of her bed. She has been in the toddler bed for a few nights now, and seems to be doing pretty well sleeping in there. The hard part is nap times, her room is not dark at all thanks to the skylight over the bathroom, so it takes her a while to wind down and go get in bed. But she is usually in her bed asleep within 15 minutes so I can't complain too much.

Her new achievment today was figuring out how to take off her pants, and stick her fingers into her diaper(which happened to be full of poop) and smear poop all over my bedroom carpet. This was all while I was in the bathroom. That will teach me to go pee without bringing her into the bathroom with me!

I am amazed every day at the new things she is doing. I am so glad I get to be home to see them.