Friday, January 28, 2011

Snow Days!

From Wednesday morning to Thursday the Philadelphia area got 12"-18" of snow dumped. I'm thinking Oaks (where we live) was closer to the 18" side of that spectrum. Oi! My kids woke up and it was all I could do to keep them from running out in their pajamas to roll around in it! This massive storm has put a bit of a kink in our moving plans for this weekend. Now, instead of moving on Saturday we'll be doing everything on Sunday. Fingers crossed for a smooth, glitch-free move!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

My, How They've Grown!

It's a horrendous snow day in Southeastern PA, and I sit here at work wondering why I got out of bed this morning to sit here at a desk doing absolutely nothing since everyone obviously assumes we're closed. So, I started flipping through my old pictures on Facebook and found this treasure taken exactly one year ago today.


Look at Paige's face! She's such a baby in this picture! And Carl can't even fit in those cabinets anymore! WAAAaaaaaaaah!!! When did my little babies get all grown up? (Shut up. I know they're not "grown up" but by comparison to this photo, they're enormous now!)

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

What's That Smell?

As a parent, is there anything worse than have both of your children sick with a stomach bug at the same time? Most would answer with a resounding, "No!" Alas, most would be mistaken. The worse thing is having both parents stricken down with said stomach bug as well. Ugh! This is what happened at Casa de Rudegeair last Thursday and Friday. Fortunately, when both kids were really bad Carl III and I were okay, but on Friday when they started to recover we were down for the count. (On that note, why aren't my kids as sympathetic when I'm sick as I am when they are? The rude little punks still wanted me to prepare them meals while I was lying on the couch groaning in agony! How rude.)
It seems that this bug has cleared out of our home, thankfully...except for a few lingering effects. For one, we are all so gassy it's absurd! (Sorry to share, but honestly! It's ridiculous!) While Carl IV and I are mostly burpy, Carl III and Paige are not so considerate. Carl IV is constantly asking, "Whew! Whassat smell?!" Yeah, that's your family, pal. Sorry.
On a less disgusting note, we're moving this weekend! Yay! I haven't posted anything before this because nothing was finalized until Sunday and I didn't want to jinx it! The new house is almost 3,000 square feet, has 3 bathrooms, and...wait for it...a DISHWASHER!!!! WHOOOOOOO! All this, and $100 less per month than we're paying now?! Hallelujah! Now, if I can just keep from killing Carl III in the process of moving, we'll be all set.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Yuck

The first stomach bug of the year has hit the Rudegeair household. Paige got it first, but fortunately she's still in diapers, so things were...for lack of a better word...contained, and she seemed to snap out of it pretty quickly. Carl IV on the other hand threw up in his bed twice Wednesday night. Poor little guy. He gets so freaked out, and wants nothing more than for me to cuddle him and tell him it's okay. As fantastically awesome as I am, I have to draw the line at cuddling with a vomit-covered 3 year old. So, I wrapped the stinky guy in a towel and dumped him in the bathtub to hose him down...then I cuddled the heck out of my not-so-stinky guy. Poor kid. To make matters worse, apparently my 'Super Mom' germ shield is malfunctioning, because my stomach has been a little sketchy all morning. Ugh. I absolutely DESPISE getting sick. Honestly, before I had kids, I could probably count the number of times I threw up on one hand. Ever since the little carrier monkies came into the picture I get a stomach bug at least once a year! Not cool. Not cool at all. Now, if you will excuse me I'm going to go sip some Gatorade and hang my head between my knees.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Wait...What?

I'll admit it...I don't entirely understand the way my mind works. My train of thought derails on a regular basis, and I jump from topic to topic at random. For example: This morning while I'm drying my hair I start to think about language barriers (Why, you ask? No idea.). Then, I start to think of the story of Babel from the bible and how nice it would have been before those ding-a-lings screwed everything up and the entire planet spoke one language (on that note: I wonder what language everyone spoke. SEE?! There I go again. Where was I?). Ah, yes. Then I started to think, hey...I wonder if language barriers apply to animals. As we all know animals have a way of communicating (I don't know exactly how, but that's neither here nor there.), but I can't help but wonder if you had an elephant from Africa in the same room as an elephant from Asia would they be able to "talk?" One of those things that make you go "Hmmmmm" right?!
Anywho, I just thought I would share my weird psyche with the web. Happy Tuesday. I hope your weather is better than ours right now. The words "Wintry Mix" were used FAR too often in the forecast this week. Pray for safe commutes!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Skype

If you haven't yet discovered Skype, let me tell you, it is the best thing EVER! I got to web chat with my sister, Alie, and my niece, Bobbi yesterday afternoon. I absolutely LOVE it! Alie and I have discovered a pleasant side-effect of web chatting, too. Aparently it has a mind-numbing effect on small children. The kids will be chattering away like rabid hyenas and the second they see someone on the computer talking to them, they freeze. It's fabulous!
Saturday night was Leah's graduation party, and that was the best time I have had in a ages. I absolutely love our family up here. Everyone was dancing, laughing, just having a good time.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a little progress in the big changes we have coming our way (details to follow once everything's set in stone...I don't want to jix myself!), so any positive thoughts or prayers sent our way would be greatly appreciated.

Friday, January 14, 2011

The Answer

Carl and I get looks every once in a while that just screams, "What are those two doing together?!" I mean, let's face it when you have a guy that looks like this:
Walking next to a girl that looks so sweet and normal like this:

...people wonder. Well, I have the answer. The reason is this:
(In case you can't read it, it says "I love you, Dee." My husband, at 5am this morning decided to do something as adorable as leave me a note in the frost on the back door just to brighten my day. How freakin' sweet is that?!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Deep Thoughts

For some reason I have my deepest thoughts in the shower. Possibly because it's the only time that I can hear myself think. Who knows? Maybe I'm having incredibly deep and meaninful thoughts 24/7, but they're being drowned out by a chorus of, "MOM"s and "She pushed me!"s. Anywho, this morning in the shower I was thinking about prayer and church (see my post re: New Years Resolutions) and how I can start to teach my kids about prayer at times other than saying grace before dinner. Obviously, saying your prayers at bedtime is a good place to start. Then I got to thinking about how I used to say my prayers when I was a kid. I remember my sister and I sitting in her bed at night and saying our prayers, and mine always resembled a whish list. A lot of "I want..." and "Please help me get..." That made me think...when's the last time you said thank you to God for all of the things you DO get and all of the good things that DO happen to you? We, as a society, focus so much on when things don't go our way and completely forget to be thankful for the things we do have. I am trying to be a bit more positive this year, and that got me thinking of all of the things that I usually whine/complain about and how I can twist them to see the bright side.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW DAY!

We are mere moments away from the snow starting to fall and I'm stuck at work. Sheesh! On the bright side, I've already told my boss that there is absolutely no way that I am driving through 8-12 inches of snow to get here tomorrow, so I have a snow day! Whoo-hoo! Carl IV has made me promise to go sledding this year, so the pictures should be interesting. I'll post again tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Miracles DO Happen!

Yesterday was one of those days that made me remember why I want more kids. We went to church and my children were fantastic! Fan-freakin'-tastic! After that Carl IV and I headed out to get haircuts, and we had lunch at McDonald's. I'm telling you, I don't know what we did differently yesterday, but the two monsters were so good! *deep sigh of relief* We needed a day like that.
Another fabulous thing: My car is fine! Whew! Turns out the cap to something under the hood wasn't screwed on tightly enough. Carl took a gander under the hood yesterday and just tightened everything up, and the ol' mom-mobile is purring like a kitten now! Whoo-hoo!
We're supposed to get anywhere between 6-12" of snow Tuesday night into Wednesday, so please pray for my sanity. As much as I would absolutely love a snow day, there are few things more maddening than trying to keep a two- and three-year-old entertained while cooped up for 24+ hours. *shudder* Just thinking about it is enough to terrify me!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Cutting Corners

In an attempt to save some money and cut back on unnecessary expenses I have recently stopped going to get certain cosmetic grooming done professionally. I started plucking my eyebrows instead of getting them waxed, I wait a lot longer between haircuts than I used to, I haven't gotten a pedicure since my birthday...
Well, ladies, take it from me. The one thing that you ABSOLUTELY want to spend the $40 on is a bikini wax. I stupidly thought, "Hey...I've had 2 kids. How hard can it be to give myself a bikini wax?" The answer: Very.

Sorely yours,
Dee

P.S.-Sorry to any guys that might be reading this, but face it, guys...we don't roll out of bed looking stunning. You knew these things happened. Sorry to rub it in your face, though.  :)

Friday, January 7, 2011

Snow!

Here's a little tip for all employers out there: If you want your employees to not complain about coming to work on snowy days, try plowing the stinkin' parking lot! Ugh!


That being said, I can't help but get a little tired of hearing people complain constantly when it snows. Like today, we're supposed to get a whopping 2-4 inches, and people are whining like it's a blizzard! Hello! You live in Pennsylvania! It snows here! Guess what...it'll probably snow again before the winter's over, and it'll probably do it all over again next year. I lived in Florida for 18 years. I didn't like the heat and I really didn't like the hurricanes, so guess what I did. I moved. If you don't like the snow/cold, please quit complaining and do something about it. Otherwise, shut up. You're making me cranky. Thank you.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Aw, crap.


There are few sights that make me feel as helpless as this. The Check Engine light in my car came on this morning. I really hate that light. A lot. It not only means that I have to call the mechanic and try to get in there sometime this century, but I'm going to be without a car for at least a day, and with my luck it's a problem that costs a small fortune to repair. Stupid light.
Don't tell Carl I said this, but I think the fact that this stupid light popped up 3 days after he changed my oil himself might be a little more than a coincidence. Shhh. That'll be our little secret.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Footies!

Is there anything in the world more adorable than kids in footie pjs? I think not.


On that note: When exactly does it become socially unaccepted to wear footies? Is 10 years old too old for footies? 13? 29? ...and why is that? I would absolutely LOVE some nice footie jammies! That's it. I'm hitting the internet to find some adult footies for myself...and probably Carl. I don't want to look like a weirdo alone. 

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

New Year Resolutions

1) To post something on here almost every day. I've recently gotten sucked into another blog, The Pioneer Woman, and I am in absolute awe at the moments she has captured by posting every single day. Sometimes something as small as a picture, but it's absolutely fascinating to flip through and see how every day has been documented. That's my mission.

2) To start running...again. See, I was doing SO well with running. Then Carl and I attended a wedding in October, and I thought it would be a good idea to borrow my sister-in-law's super sexy, sky-high, leopard print heels. Silly me. You would think that after 29 years I would have learned that I am disturbingly clumsy. I lost my balance several times that night. Once while standing completely still. I was talking to a friend (thankfully the only person around to witness this shamefully embarrassing display of my lack of grace) and I just started teetering to the side. Was there a strong gust of wind? Nope. Just God saying, "Hmm...where is that Dee? Ahh...there she is! " *sigh* Anywho, long story short, I lost my balance on the dance floor (because what's the fun of falling in, say, the bathroom without 250 witnesses?), rolled my ankle, and haven't been running since. But, I'm feeling like my foot could take it now, plus I got some really nice Nike running pants for Christmas, so I'm starting again next Monday! Wish me luck.

3) Regardless of how late I was out on Saturday night or how horrendous my children are behaving, I will drag my family to mass EVERY SUNDAY.

Okay, now that I've filled you in on my plans for 2011, I have to relay to you the silliness that is my 3 1/2 year old's sense of humor. This morning while I'm helping him put on his shoes he looks at me and says, "Knock, knock!"
Yay! I love cheesy jokes! And if the grin that was spread across that mischievous face of his was any indication, this was going to be a doosie! "Who's there?"
"Pee-Pee"
Uh-oh. I think I see where this is going..."Pee-Pee Who?"
"Pee-pee BUTT!"  And the kid collapsed on the sofa as if he'd just finished the most hysterical joke of all time.
But it doesn't stop there. In the car on the way to drop him off at my mother-in-laws, I again hear him say, "Knock-knock!"
"Who's there?" I ask.
"Banana."
Whew! Banana? This might actually be a joke. Alright, I'll bite. "Banana who?"
"Banana BUTT! BAHAHahahahahaha!"
*sigh* Welcome to my life.