Almost Over!

So... the holidays are almost over and all I can say about that is THANK YOU GOD!!! lol

For all you Moms and Dads... I bet you are just counting the days until the kids go back to school. If you are saying "not me" then you are LYING! :) It's okay... I was in denial for a while too but then I came back to Earth and realized I get ME time again! Yay!!!

I gotta say, I cannot WAIT until I can take a shower longer than 5 minutes and not have to worry who is killing who & who is doing what. Like right now, as I am typing up my new blog post... my daughter is walking around in my heels... We buy all these presents for you to entertain yourself with MY shoes? Geez! It's like when they are still really small and they hide in the boxes their gifts come in instead of playing with the toy... seriously Why don't we just get smart and buy these kids boxes for gifts and be done with it all? lol.

With the New Year quickly approaching... PLEASE remember: Do NOT Drink & Drive! You love your kids and we want to educate them to do the right thing... so be an Example of that!

"Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."  ~Elizabeth Stone
-Your children are your heart but remember you are their heart as well!



Olivia modelling Mommy's shoes... ALL THE TIME! lol



Trouble... lots of Trouble!

New Year... New Me! :)

One last thing before I go...
For you parents who are about to clean out your children's toys to make room for the new... Please, Please, PLEASE don't just throw them away. Please donate those toys to either a church or local Salvation Army or even ask your school! There are so many children without... we could all do a little more to help out! :)

I hope everyone has had a blessed Holiday season and an even more blessed New Year to come!

xoxo,
Heidi :)

Christmas is almost here!

I bet your children are counting down the days now huh?

All I hear is "Santa is coming in 3 DAYS!" Which just reminds me that I only have 3 days to get my act together and finish up all the little details that no matter how hard you plan, you just never get done in time. Which ends up with you awake until 3 a.m. trying so desperately to finish so you can at least an hour of sleep before the wake up call.... "SANTA CAME!!!"  

I so love their faces Christmas morning! Their innocent faces with their eyes so wide that they seem like they will ultimately fall right out of their heads... it's really the greatest feeling!

One thing I am looking forward to this year is my cat Peach's reaction to the whole day. This is her 1st Christmas and she makes an adventure of everything! I can already imagine her chasing the wrapping paper as it's ripped and thrown all around... like in one of those movies where the people end up with a lot of money and roll around in it on their beds, she'll do the same. Or she'll just end up helping the kids by unwrapping everything under the tree before they even wake up... because she's a little nutty! Hopefully, I won't be too sleep deprived so that I can capture all of this on my camera!

Before I end this post... I just briefly want to touch on something. The holidays are usually where people spend a lot of money and that's fine but... PLEASE Remember the environment this holiday season. Don't just throw away pieces of wrapping paper that seem too small to wrap a present! Get Creative! Get Festive! Make use of the paper! The more we do for our environment, the more it can do for us!



My little wrapping area!

 



I used 2 scraps to wrap a stocking stuffer! (came out cute huh? :) )




Recycle and Reuse!

 If you have any other ideas for recyling your wrapping paper, please feel free to post or link to me! I would love to hear some of your ideas and possibly put them to good use!

Love,
Heidi

Christmas & Tantrums

For all the parents with children over the age 6...  you made it out ALIVE!!.
For all the parents with children under the age of 6... HANG ON!

Christmas time seems to really bring out the best behavior in our kids. And when I say "best" I mean the absolute worst when they are under the age of 6! The "I want that" and the endless crying over the toy commercials seem to really peak at Christmas. Don't you agree?

My absolute FAVORITE has to be bringing these kids into the stores at Christmas... why? haha... Because that's when all the toys are placed right smack dab in their faces. Hear me out for a minute... you are driving in your car having a good old time... singing Christmas songs, playing games... whatever it is you do in your car... everything is Happy-Go-Lucky... then you get in the store and "I WANT THAT ONE!" and it's all over. Even when you explain... "Well if you are good Santa might bring you one" they still throw themselves to the floor or bring on some big scene, so that other parents who were smart enough to leave their children with babysitters will stare at you like they have perfect children... HA! And if you are anything like me... at this point you'll do ANYTHING to stop the screaming... so distract them with candy. Which I am starting to learn only quiets them for moments and then the SUGAR RUSH kicks in and things get far worse!

My advice... leave the children home until after New Years! Even if you are going grocery shopping!! And rest easy... because after the holiday is over you get to stand on line for Returns!! :)

And for the best part... I leave you with a video of my beautiful Olivia singing Santa Claus is Comin' To Town (she's so good at PLAYING innocent! :) )

Love,

Heidi 

Oh the Holidays...

I am a big fan of the holidays... but who isn't?

You get to spend all your money... stress over the trendy gifts... worry about the kids finding those trendy gifts (because those little rugrats can't wait another 2 weeks)... wrap the gifts... and then you snuggle those gifts safely under the tree for the next morning. All of this for the 10 minutes of pure Joy of ripping the presents open, 20 minutes of playing with the new found toys...

followed by "I'm bored" and BAM there goes your sanity... RIGHT OUT THE FREAKIN' WINDOW! All of this, just to have the cycle repeated the next year. Over and over... again and again... and yet we wonder why we end up getting greys so early?! lol

Anyway..............

So, with this holiday fast approaching, my Olivia has been doing more and more Christmas crafts in school. Today, she made a "gingerbread" house. (It's really made with graham crackers not gingerbread).

 It's really adorable (as you can see) and her first. The BEST part of this house is... I DID NOT HAVE TO CLEAN UP THE MESS! Usually when you make these things... you get icing everywhere, sticky gumdrops stuck to your table and candy bits all over your kitchen that you find for days and days wondering, "Where the hell do they keep coming from????"

...Again, there goes the sanity! lol

I really do love the Holidays...
I love the warmth of Family,
The crisp white snow,
The hustle and bustle to find the Perfect gift,
and most importantly... the Love.

So, while you are out there chasing after that perfect gift, running over that Grandma to get the last game, and standing on lines that take hours just to checkout 1 item... remember one thing... there is someone else doing the EXACT SAME THING somewhere else! (I bet that made you smile... =) ) Rest assured you are not alone!

Happy Shopping!!

Love,
Heidi

Olivia's first Christmas concert

I am SOOOOO beyond proud of my Olivia!!! These are the moments that make parenting and dealing with those crazy, make-you-want-to-rip-every-strand-of-hair-out-of-your-head moments so very worth it!!

So, today was my daughter Olivia's first concert... ever! (BONUS: that it was a Christmas concert!) So after watching the video clip... I bet you are wondering why it's a Hanukkah video when we celebrate Christmas?!

As always... things never go according to plan because if they did people would be smarter and more organized instead of "winging it".

Days before the show, I kept telling my husband, "we are DEFINITELY recording this!" I kept telling Jim how excited I was to see her perform and when she gets older, she'll be able to watch it and really appreciate the things that she had done. HA! ... Why is it people insist on making their hairdo's HUGE especially when they know they are going to sit in a crowded auditorium? I mean you KNOW you are going to block someone's view... but do they care? Nah. Because people can be really selfish... I mean doesn't anyone care that HEIDI WANTS TO RECORD HER DAUGHTER'S FIRST PERFORMANCE... EVER?! lol

Yeah, I guess I'm a little selfish... but I love my kid and I want to be one of those stage mom's that's right there doing it with them! But I cannot do that if people and their huge hair are in my way!

Anyway... I got off into a tangent... I know... back to the story. The reason why you are seeing this clip of the song about Hanukkah is because when my husband Jim FINALLY found a spot to record Olivia... this is the song they were singing. As you can see in the video he still has a little trouble keeping Olivia in focus. And of course once the song is over... my memory card is FULL! Again, you plan and plan... and things are still out of control!

All in all... we had a blast. And even though we recording basically only a song about Hanukkah, I know that when the day does come that she sits down and watches home videos... she'll be glad we caught this.

So my advice to all you "stage moms and dads"... 1. Get to the event WAY early so you get the best seats in the house and to set up way before anyone else does! 2. If you happen to get caught behind the ladies with the big heads and even bigger hairdo's... make sure you stand in the aisle right in front of them to show them whose boss! :)

When all else fails... do nothing and complain like I just did! :) lol



Proud parents with our lovely daughter! :)

 Love,
Heidi :)

Cat Adventures

I love that when a cat is still young... everything and I mean EVERYTHING is an adventure for them. From figuring out that their reflection is in fact THEIR reflection and not another kitten trying to take over. It usually takes them a while... a few hisses and arched backs later and they are over it but nevertheless... still an adventure.

The first time they meet Mr. Vacuum. Oh how I love the vacuum! Either they will be really brave and take it on, only to in fact find out they are petrified of it, OR they will run and hide like the "scaredy cats" (lmao) that they really are!

Anyway... for Peach, life is still an adventure. From jumping into the garbage chasing after an orange peel that was tossed in, to chasing her tail, nothing goes unnoticed to her. Making my bed is always a fun time for her. Running under the blanket as it is tossed in the air or when I am changing the sheets, she is busy chasing all the little folds before it is completely flattened out. But her newest adventure... she has figured out that she can sit behind the bed on the edge and see who she can attack!

"hehehe! They cannot see me!"

"Ooooh!! Is that a bug??!"

Kittens are like little kids... just trying to figure things out. But I gotta say, they are sometimes a whole hell of a lot funnier! So, the next time your cat is climbing your leg because of a belt strap, or attacking your feet just because you happen to walk by... you will know, that the best has just begun!

Embrace it... because when they get bigger... their nails hurt even more! lol! =)

Roots

Do you know where your roots lie?

My family is American, Italian & Russian. I grew up in a world of Sinatra, Gotti, The Godfather, GREAT food, close bonds, and with the most consuming love you could ever imagine.  I value all the things I've learned from my family.

Some things you should understand about me and my family:

1. Blood is ALWAYS thicker than Water.
2. Good food will always bring us together.
3. Holding a grudge takes a lot of work, if you are not in it for the long haul, don't bother.
4. We are LOUD whether we are happy, sad, or in between. :)
5. Yes, we will ALWAYS "tawk" with our hands.
6. Anyone that messes with our family will be "sleeping with the fishes" :)

Well, maybe not so much the last one, but it's fun to add in.

My family is everything to me. I love everyone in my family, they all have a special place in my heart! My parents showed me how to be the best person I could be... My sister showed me how to be stronger... My brothers... they showed me how a woman should be treated and because of them, I chose a husband who worships me. Every person in my family plays a vital role in the person I turned out to be and I am so very thankful for each one of them.

So, with that being said... I leave you all with: Frank Sinatra - New York, New York! :) Enjoy!

Love,
Heidi

Olivia

When my daughter was born... I finally became the person I wanted to be. I instantly felt like I had the whole world in my arms and it is the greatest feeling! Having a child makes you grow up & stay young, it makes you serious & silly, it makes you strong yet under their thumb, and lastly, it makes you feel the most love you have ever felt that's so consuming you never want to let go... ever.

beautiful huh?

My Olivia

 ... or as my husband says, "isn't she BOTH of ours?" A little girl that has so much love her parents will fight over who she belongs to... especially when she's behaving badly! hehehe :) She is four years old now and boy oh boy is she a trouble maker. From what I see most parents have one of two trains of thought... either:
1. my child could NEVER do anything wrong... or
2. I bet you my child is so much worse than yours! lol
Which leaves any conversations basically with you battling it out, either finding ways in which your child is more angelic than theirs (hahahah who are we kidding???) or finding ways in which your child has done something far worse than theirs did. Quite frankly... I like the second of the two because that's the fun part of life. Think back to when you were a child... did you sit on a chair all day with your hands folded or did you have some fun that usually got you in trouble?

I bet you are thinking about something you did that was bad... and now your smiling huh? :)

Anyway... Olivia is always up to something new. Her most recent finding... LYING! A four year old liar... that has to be some kind of record! She'll knock something over or break something RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME and say "Jessica did it!" meanwhile her older sister isn't even in the house! I mean... Really??? I know all kids lie eventually... the route that Olivia is taking, she'll be the best lawyer... ever! :)

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire! hehe

Love
-Heidi

Introducing...

Hello once again,

It's time to introduce the main trouble makers of this household... the cats! Since they are a big part of my life, they can now be a part in yours.

Jade

aka Baby

Jade is now 5 years old. She is usually the more relaxed one in the house... until there is a hair clip laying around, YEP a hair clip! Then it's like she's got the spunk of 50 kittens! I fully understand having some play time, but does it really have to come at such a high cost? The cost of a half hour of Peace when my daughter is taking a nap because ultimately the clip will land in her bed and the cat WILL jump on her, causing her to wake up in a frenzy and the cycle begins all over again. Yay me! ha ha!!

Peaches

Peach is now 8 months old... and what the hell was I thinking? Around my birthday, I said to my husband, "Hon... can I get a kitten?? Pleeeeeeeeease?" I knew somewhere in the back of my mind that having a 4 year old child, an older cat and getting a kitten was crazy... but did I listen to those rational thoughts? HAHAHAHAHA!! Nope! So after a little searching... I found Peach. I really love her. I love the way she has now broken 3 Mini-blinds in my house because she doesn't understand the concept of going under the blind she has to go through it. I love how every night she attacks my daughter's feet in her sleep causing her to wake up screaming, "STOP IT" and then crying. But my favorite... my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE is how much I love when she gets a burst of energy and rips through my house like wildfire ultimately knocking everything down because she's as clumsy as can be.

Oh yes... I love my cats! They keep me from being bored... I mean isn't that their job? =)

A couple of extra pics to show the love... enjoy!

The beginning of yet ANOTHER broken mini blind... SCORE! (Peaches 4, Us 0)

Can you feel the love? I know I can!

Love,
Heidi

New Blog. New Day. Same Craziness!

Hello everyone!

Let me start by saying, if you are reading this and are a wife, mother, and cat owner... I sympathize with you! :) I love my life, I really do but craziness is always a moment away. Have you noticed that?

A little about me, My name is Heidi and I'm 26 years old. I am in school full time at DeVry University (I take online classes), I am studying to be a Medical Biller & Coder. I am married to the most wonderful man whose name is Jim, we've been married 2 years and I couldn't be happier. We have the most amazing daughter, Olivia who is now 4 (turning 20) and I have 4 wonderful step-children. To round out the family, we have 2 cats, Jade (Baby) who is 5 years old and Peaches who is 8 months old.

Now getting back to things... so why do I sympathize with you fellow wives, mothers, and cat owners? Ha ha! The answer is quite simple... there is literally NEVER a dull moment. Don't you agree? And that is what this blog is dedicated to; the never dull moments, the simple to complex craziness that goes on in and outside of the house, and to wishing for that one moment of PEACE!

Because let's face it... as I am typing this new post in my BRAND NEW Blog, my daughter Olivia is rolling a medium sized pumpkin on my carpet, and it's only a matter of time before it bounces off something and smashes, leaving me to clean up pumpkin goo and guts (insert laughter here).  So I leave you with this thought... if you are reading my blog right now... what are your children and cats up to? :)

Love,
Heidi