Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!!!

We will be back soon......

Carnival

I can’t think of a better way to kick off summer than going to a carnival! It was all about rides, friends, and junk food!

Zoe spent hours with Jaylyn, Candence, and Shawn at the local carnival. We opted for the wrist band so the kids could ride as many times and they wanted. We got there at 6pm and didn’t leave until after 9pm, it was a BLAST!

Zoe is usually intimidated by some of the rides, but this time she rode a few big girl rides. She’s a screamer like her mom but, I was proud of her for branching out and trying them. I could hardly stand it, watching her on those big rides. My tiny little baby on with BIG kids and adults! She must have liked it because she went more than once.

I too got my kicks and was able to ride a ride with my partner in crime, Jamal! I’m sure he can’t hear very well today with all the screaming I did but, nonetheless it was a riot and we laughed from the time the ride started till the end. I could hardly find the exit gate when we got off, good times!

Everyone had a fantastic time and Zoe was in heaven with all of her friends there AT THE SAME TIME!

Skype

As if dinner wasn’t fantastic enough, after dinner it got even better. Zoe got to Skype with the little girl we are hosting next month for 10 days with the Fresh Air Fund. (http://www.freshair.org/ )

Her name is Nichole and she lives in NYC. The girls chatted over the computer about their likes and dislikes, the things they want to do this summer, favorite foods, graduating kindergarten, and how excited they are to meet each other in August.

I think I’m more excited than Zoe. Watching the two of them talk got me thinking about all the fun stuff I will get to do with them. They are the same age and like the same things so it seems like a perfect match for Zoe.

This is what it’s all about… Making new friends and making memories!

Meal Swap

Life is always about compromise, right? Well, Zoe and I do it well… I made her lunch today (like I do everyday) so in return she wanted to make dinner tonight. We pulled out her cookbook and she picked out a lovely minestrone soup with lots of fresh summer veggies. It sounded so good I couldn’t wait until dinner.

We ran to the store to pick up a few things we needed and of course Zoe had to do it all herself. After all, it’s her meal so she had to get the buggy, push it, get all the groceries we needed, put everything on the belt at checkout, and then ask me for the money to pay for it! The cashier was laughing because Zoe wouldn’t let anyone help her bag the groceries in her fancy Mickey Mouse re-useable bags.

As we were walking out of the store, Zoe looks back at me and says, “Phew, Mom this was a lot of work, I sure hope dinner turns out good!”

It was better than good - it was delicious! Little Z sure has a thing for cooking and I couldn’t be happier!

Craft Store

A 'few things' at the craft store turned into a shopping cart FULL of things. Guess Zoe added a few things to her list!

Arts & Crafts

Since the weather has been so hot, humid, and rainy, Zoe and I had a lazy day indoors, painting and doing crafts. She loves to paint and wanted to make her Mommy and Mimi some original artwork for their offices. Now that I’m working at home, Shelli goes to NJ to work daily because we know all too well what it’s like for two people to work under the same roof....it just doesn’t work!

Zoe took her time and painted two beautiful master pieces. We also did a few sun catchers, but unfortunately, they didn’t turn out quite the way we had wanted. But nonetheless, they were still fun to do.

Zoe has started a list of things she ‘needs’ from the craft store. Looks like we will be doing a lot more arts and crafts this summer! This is when I need Mamaw here close by, she is the professional!

Biscuit

Biscuit takes a dip in the pool with Zoe....

My Birthday!

I had the most amazing birthday this year. I got to spend a few days earlier in the week on the beach with one of the people I'm closest to here and don't get as much time with as I would like, Dana. We took the Cape May, NJ ferry over to Rehoboth Beach, DE for a day of SHOPPING. It was fun in the sun, sand, and non-stop laughing. We sure know how to shop till we drop.

For my actual birthday, Shelli and Zoe took me to play laser tag. I haven't done that in years. It was so much fun. We ran around like crazy people trying to score as many points as we could. Zoe played it safe and hung out near the "home base" most of the game so she wouldn't get hit! I didn't give Shelli any mercy. I was on her heels the whole time. We are both super completive, so it is alway full force whenever we do some type of activity like that. After laser tag we went for lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. We were limited for time because Shelli had a plane to catch, but we still had time to enjoy our meal and a couple of cocktails.

When we got home, we had cake. Not just any cake but a cake with 34 candles on it. (Thanks Zoe!) It took both Zoe and I to blow all the candles out. I thought the fire alarm was going to go off - Yikes! I'd have to say this birthday had to be one of my favorite.

I'm one lucky 34 year old Mommy!

School is OUT!

Zoe’s last day of school was Wednesday. She has graduated from kindergarten and summer has officially started! She had a great year and had a super-duper fantastic teacher. Ms. Gilully was nothing short of wonderful. We will miss her dearly.

For even better news, I will be home with Zoe all SUMMER!!!!!! NO more kindergarten and NO more before and after school daycare! We are going to take full advantage of quality time for the next several weeks. I will still work at nights but my days are free and clear. Zoe and I have a summer full of fun stuff planned. I never thought this day would come. It’s here and I’m going to embrace each and every second of it.

Congrats to Miss Zoe for getting through her first year of Big Girl school. She did a great job, had a wonderful report card, and we are so very proud of her.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Zoe has been talking a lot lately about the Phillie Phanatic, I'm assuming that's the playground topic of late. The other day on the way home from school Zoe asked me if we could go to a Phillies game. I tried to come up with an excuse trying to avoid the topic all together. 'I'd really like to see the Phillie Phanatic, Meems...' I believe was the clincher. My eye doctor is downtown and I had an appointment coming up, so I thought we'd kill two birds with one stone and see about going to a game since we're already there anyway. Lucky for me, there was a double header on the schedule for the same day as my appointment.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I used to be a HUGE baseball fan. Tons of memorabilia, boxes and boxes of cards, season tix when I lived in Atlanta, and Miami. Then came the strike in the early 90's and that was IT for me. I trashed all my cards, Becket's, and hats, then swore to NEVER watch baseball again, and I haven't. Then my beloved 6 yr old comes to me wanting to go to a game. How can I refuse her, really?

On the web I go, got amazing seats (20 rows up on 3rd base side, field level) on stub hub for a bargain, found a MLB licensed kid jersey ($49.99) on Ebay for 5 bucks, and we were off! Yes, it's still ridiculous to try to eat at a ballpark, but hey, it's all part of the experience...and YES, a family of vegetarians can eat at a MLB park quite nicely. There were incredible veggie selections all through the park, ranging from veggie burgers, 'chicken' sandwiches, hot dogs and wraps. After all, how do you go to a baseball game and not have a hot dog, peanuts, and CrackerJacks?
So all I can say at this point is, someone must have known it was time for Meems to get back into the game. The Phils even pulled out an extra inning win after being down 4-2 most of the game. Does it get any better, really?

Tickets: $80
Parking: $15
Jersey: $13 (including shipping)
Junk food and dogs at the ballpark: $30
Phanatic stuffed doll: $15
Phanatic MVP membership: $12

Night at the ball park with my awed 6yr old..... Freakin' Priceless!

Work update

It’s been a couple weeks now that I’ve been working from home ...nights! The first week was rough. I didn’t know if I was coming or going or even what day it was. I just new I needed to sleep!

Now, things are getting a little more ‘normal’. I’m very much enjoying all the time I get with Zoe. When she goes to bed at night, she will kiss me and say, “Have a good night at work!”, In the morning, she will run downstairs to my office and say, “You are still here, right where I left you last night!”. I always get a chuckle out of her saying that. I’m sure I look like a crazy person by day break but, she still wants to crawl on my lap, check my email situation, and always wants to know who called me or who I talked to the night before. Like she knows all the nurses I work with on a personal level – ha!

I finish work at 8am so, it gives me time to get breakfast ready for Z before school, pack her snacks, and anything else that needs to get done before starting her day. While she is at school, I try to muster up the energy to run any errands that need to be done before picking her up at noon from school. Once we get home, it’s lunch time, then nap. The bonus of the day; 4 times out of 5 Zoe will chose to nap with me. We jump into bed, chat or watch a little TV and both snooze for a few hours. It’s the best time of my day!!! I can’t remember the last time Zoe has napped and for some reason now, she will, and with me! Nothing better in the whole wide world!

I do get a few hours of sleep during the night. On the average, I get about 4 (or 5 hours on a good night!) It’s not like I’m not getting any sleep and can't function, it’s more so that after several days in a row, I’m a little slower moving. The last couple years have been adjustment after adjustment however, as hard as it has been; I’ve made it through and haven’t given up. I’m blessed to have the support I have. My life is far from perfect, but you know, I’m okay with that. I’m doing what I can with what I have and I will just have to make it work. The most important thing in my life (& Shelli’s) is Zoe.

Come on summer break!!

Juicer

It’s that time of year again when I pull out the juicer and hit up the local farmer’s markets for fresh fruits and veggies. To be honest, I have a love-hate relationship with my Jack LaLanne Power Juicer. I’ve had it a couple years now and I remember watching the commercials on TV over and over again saying to myself, “I have to have this!” The truth is, it’s a lot of work! The cutting, the washing, the cleaning up, etc. HOWEVER, the end result is beyond delicious. There is absolutely nothing better than fresh juice.

Zoe’s choice: Strawberries, papaya, carrots, beets, apples, pineapple, and a celery stick.

Mommy’s choice: (my fav) Apples, carrots, and beets.

PJ's

Matching Pj's......

Everyone should own a pair!