Expo Tv

So I am finally going to start uploading to Expotv.com.  It is a great way to make some extra cash and I am looking forward to getting started as soon as I get the kids down for nap today.  For those that don't know what Expo Tv is, it is a site that does consumer video reviews.  Then the consumer that makes the review gets paid for doing it by expo - $5 to $20 (not bad!) and you also get paid a penny per view for it.  People can go there to get honest reviews on ANYTHING!  From vacation destinations, to food products, electronics, you name it, it has been reviewed!  Whats great is that they are HONEST reviews because it is someone that has used the product and will flat out say if they like it or not.  They are a minimum of one minute long and some go into great detail depending on what you are looking at.  But I think if you want an honest review on just about anything, it is a great place to go.  And if you want to make some extra cash, I will update as to how good it is since I am just getting started.  But I figure even if I only make the minimum of $5/video uploaded and I do 20/month that is an extra $100 cash in my pocket, and that is at a minimum, so not bad.  :-)  I will also update when I have uploaded some and you can go view them so I get my penny per view!  LOL  :-)

I will try to update here more often as well.  We have had a lot going on lately.  My pop-pop is very ill, so life has been more focused on that.  Anyway...there ya have it!

Happy reading and stay tuned!

So I have been MIA

So I have not been posting...here I was doing so well too.  Just haven't thought of much to write about.  Kids are good, life is going pretty well, all in all not much is new.  I rearranged my family room and love it because it makes me feel like I have a family room and play room which is a nice thing.  I was so sick of looking at toys everywhere, although I still kind of do.  I mean the kids keep bringing them over into the family room section to play, but at the end of the day, when they are in bed and I am being a grown up, it is nice to feel like I am in a grown up room and not a kids play room!  We just have so little space here it is driving me crazy.  

I look around and think I need to put this or that somewhere, problem being that there is no where left for said item to go, except for the bottomless pit - our work room/laundry room/storage room in the basement.  And I am sick of doing that.  I promised Jon I would stop on the moving talk,  but I really think I want to sell and possibly rent for awhile.  We won't have the equity to be able to put down a nice enough amount to get the size house we want, but I have found quite  few rentals that we could more than afford that are triple the size of our house now.  And man while the tax write off that comes with being a home owner is nice, I am really thinking renting is a nice alternative.  I mean there are negatives to it too, but there are in any situation.  I actually was looking and found the cutest place on 1.5 acres for $500 a month less than what we pay on our mortgage!  And it has 4 beds, 2.5 baths, a finished basement, a front porch...just so many things that I have been looking for in a house.  Oh and it has an option to buy...decisions decisions.  Well I will try to post more and remember to put up pictures, but I can't promise anything.  :-)

Happy reading!

Is Spring Here Yet?!

So we had that warm spell and that was nice and all, but I hate teases like that!  I got to go for a walk out on the trail and it was so great!  I love the spring - windows open, fresh air, beautiful days!  UGH why can't February just end already!!  It just drags and drags!!  Emma was telling me this morning in the car on the way to school that she had a campfire last night with marshmallows...poor kid is remembering something from months and months ago!!  I told her we would do it again soon and she asked if that meant tonight, I said no it will probably be too cold, and she said oh man I want it to be warm!!  Me too, Em, me too!  She also got a new sun dress at Gymboree, which she just wants to wear in the worst way, too bad she will be waiting quite a few months to put that on!

I think that for me February and March are the worst months....just dreary and LONG!  Especially March, although hopefully it will warm up early.  I do have to say that I am noticing the days getting longer, which starts to help me get out of my winter funk.  I just can't wait for park days, taking the kids out back mid day to rid them of energy, zoo trips, etc!  I just can't wait for Spring!!!

Kitchen Mini Remodel - Floor!

So Jon finally got finished putting the new floor in last week. But I am just getting around to putting pictures up now...sorry bout that! :-) Anyway it turned out great and I am so happy to not have to walk around cracked tiles anymore!! Or get them away from Owen, he thought they were the best toy ever!!

Wordless Wednesday

She cracks me up....again!

So we have a trip planned to WDW in a couple of months. Emma has about 1 inch to go before she is big enough to ride on the 40 incher rides - Splash Mountain being the main one she wants to go on. Well just now she comes up to me and says, please mommy can I ride splash mountain. I said well Emma you know you have to grow one more inch, so we shall see. She says, no mommy I am big....I have boobies!!!! WHAT?!!!! She has put something in her shirt and is telling me it is her boobies and she is big now. She then goes to get on the rocking horse that Owen got for Christmas and is talking to herself and says...Oh silly Emma you can't go on that, you are too big, you have boobies now! Where does she get this stuff???!!!

She now tells me she is little again and that her (stuffed) puppy dog, was just pretending to be her boobies...so you tell me active imagination, or should I be worried?!

Crazy crazy kid!!!!!

The Next American Idol....

So we watch American Idol as I am sure many out there do. But I guess it is kind of our guilty pleasure. I really got into last year because I thought David Cook was just awesome! I mean that guy was/is so creative!! Jon even got into it and is into this year too. It is fun to watch, especially during auditions. Well this year we watch and Emma is still up because we put her down after we are 100% sure that Owen is asleep since they share a room. So she has been watching what she calls the singing show. She is very into it, but she wants to do what they do. I tell her she has to wait for Mommy to pause it. So now she is constantly asking for me to pause it. When I do, this is what happens:

As you can see she stops everything, finds her mark - based on the foam floor mat - and tells us what song she is going to sing! The funniest part is she adds to it...as you can see! She jazzes Twinkle Twinkle and the ABCs. The dances and points!! It is so cute!! But I have to say, I think I have the next American Idol on my hands...do you hear that voice? Do you see those moves? LOL!! Her name is Emma Jordan and she is the Next American Idol! Well in what 13ish years!!

Happy Reading and viewing!!

Wordless Wednesday

I was feeling nostalgic this week....here are some old pictures...some really old, of my babies!!

Nothing New....

So I haven't posted in a couple days. Mainly because my life is fairly boring the last few days and there is nothing to post about. I guess that is a good thing?! I mean a month ago I sleep trained Owen, so back then I could have gone on and on about sleep training a toddler, but now the little guy sleeps great, so not much to say on that subject. I guess I could go on and on and on about all the things Emma says, because quite frankly the child can TALK...A LOT! (Wonder where she gets that from...lol!) But that would become a bit of a snooze fest. So what does one write about when they have nothing new to say. Well I guess about that...nothing!

There isn't much going on...well Jon is putting a new floor in the kitchen, that is new, but I think I already told about that. It is taking A LOT longer than I thought it would, but that is what happens when previous owners half ass everything they do! The people that lived here before us were sooooo lazy!! Every home improvement they made was done...well...poorly! Our floor had a dip in it that slowly slanted from 1/4 of an inch to 1 1/4 inches!!! I mean who does that? Who puts an addition on and says, oh this floor isn't level...at all, and then says, oh well! Moron!! And that isn't the only thing. EVERYTHING they did was done badly, right down to the paint job! They only half painted the one wall in our home because to finish it they would have needed to use a ladder...ummmm lazy much?!

So there I ranted about the house. Oh and how about my family's reaction to me writing a blog...I quote "YOU have a blog?! WHY? What do you write about?" Thanks guys! My life really is kind of interesting and even if NO ONE reads this, I enjoy venting and talking to my imaginary friends here...so there! LOL

Happy reading and good night! :-)

Frustrated....

So I am in a mom's group, called Moxie Moms. It is so great and thank god for it. But we are having such a hard time finding fun indoor activites for the kids this winter. So I have been searching online for ideas and I am finding NADA! I just want to figure something fun and inexpensive to do with the kids. Something they can do to get their energy out. As I sit here and type Emma is jumping on the sofa! She actually just jumped off and is claiming she hurt herself...see...I need a place to take them!!

We were scheduled to go to My Gym for a Mom's group play time, and it got cancelled because of bad weather. What really irks me is that no one from there called and informed us of the cancellation. We have been having a few issues with how they handle things, so that started my search for other options. Well I now know why they can act as they do...they have NO competition at all!! This frustrates me to no end. Not to mention that being a member of Moxie is more than just being in a mom's group, it also allows for some pretty great discounts. One of our more popular discounts - My Gym. Well they have now altered how we get our discount...BS if you ask me!!

My kids LOVE Oasis Family Fun Center, but it is a bit of a drive. If only we had a place like that closer to us. I am telling you I need to find a backer and open one here in Downingtown. That is far enough away from the one in Glen Mills and can get the business from this area. I thought I had heard of something like it in King of Prussia maybe, but I am having a hard time finding it...that is if it even exsists! So furstrating...see why this is aptly named frustrated!!

Anyone have any ideas....anyone?! Please post them in the comments...that is if anyone even reads this...lol!!

Happy reading and stay tuned!

Wordless Wednesday

Kitchen Mini-Remodel

Really quick since the kids are in bed and before I forget, I wanted to post a few pictures of the new backsplash that Jon put in our kitchen!! It looks awesome!! I can't wait for him to do the floor - we already have the materials. It is all coming together so nicely. He has one wall left to paint and then the trim! When the whole thing is completed I will be sure to update....anyway, here it is so far!

I LOVE IT!!! Ok Good night!! :-)

UGH Kids....Gotta love 'em!

Some days I wonder if they are out to get me or what?! So Emma is 3 1/2 and Owen is 15 months. He has been tormenting her lately. I warned her he would eventually! Pay back is a ...well you know!! Well our laptop power cord broke, so now whenever I want to take a 5 minute break and get on the computer it is a huge task. I have to go down to the basement, which in our house is not that big of a deal because it is all open to the upstairs. Well it seems that all is good up there, they are playing nicely and I decide ok I am going to go check my email or whatever, it NEVER fails that they immediately start at each other as soon as my butt hits the chair!!

But for the most part they are relatively good. Owen gets into EVERYTHING lately!! I mean EVERYTHING!! He climbs on the sofa and gets on the arm rest to get all the things we have put up high so that he can't have them. He also climbs from the sofa to the end table and then sits and plays with the pull string on the lamp! Then there is the kitchen - he loves climbing up on the chairs and then the table to get anything we may have up there...no more candles for me!! Oh and then there is the trash can! This kid has always been interested in the darn trash can!! Ever since he could pull himself up to standing he has been trying to get into the trash! He also throws his socks in the trash!! (So for me it is not the dryer eating the socks, it is me not catching Owen throwing one out!!)

Here is a fairly recent picture or my little monster!!

Emma is getting so freaking big! It is like it happened overnight! She has this memory that she never really had. I mean all of a sudden she starts talking about stuff from last summer, where last year at this time she wouldn't remember the summer before unless prompted. She out of no where says to me - "I want to ride in the kayak again!" I am like, ok that's random. I asked her what she was talking about and she said "Like I did with Daddy and Pops!" She was talking about our summer trip to the Lake. She really is such a sweetheart! Even when she is doing something she knows she shouldn't she is cute! It is so hard to get frustrated with her, but at the same time so easy!! LOL When she is in time out she talks the whole time. She sits there and repeats OVER and OVER again - I'm just so sorry Mommy/Daddy! (depending on who put her in) She really does love her brother though, and it is so cute to see them together!

My little Princess!

Well that is all I really have to say for now I guess!! I know tomorrow is wordless Wednesday, so I am really going to try and remember to do that!! Off to add some more pics to my profile and what not!!

Stay tuned and thanks for reading!! :-)

YAY! My house is getting a facelift....

Well my kitchen is anyway!! You know what they say about the shoemaker's children...well our house is like that! Owning a handyman business is great and all, but man does our house suffer! By the time the weekend comes or a day off of any kind, the last thing Jon wants to do is anything around here! Well I finally was like that is enough! So he painted the kitchen this weekend (he had off Friday) and WOW it looks awesome so far!! He has a little more painting to do and then we are headed to Home Depot to get the stuff for the back splash. Next weekend he is doing the floor - hopefully because we have cracked tiles! We are still deciding on whether or not to add some bead board, but I don't care, it is PAINTED!!

There are so many other projects that I want him to tackle as well. We were contemplating moving, but have decided to stick it out for at least another year. If you have seen my house you know that overflowing with crap is an understatement! So we now have some work cut out for us to make this place work. After the kitchen is done, my number one priority is the basement. We have a laundry area in our basement that is in an unfinished room the size of our family room that is full of junk! So my job is to get rid of the junk and pack up some unneeded stuff. Jon's job is to move some of the big items to my parent's basement for the time being and then his big job - finish the basement room. This room will become a play room for the kids, which in turn gives us our family room back! That is not to say that there won't be toys in our family room, I am a big believer that the family room is a room for the entire family to enjoy, but our house is tiny and our family room is monopolized by toys. Seriously...it looks like TOYS R US threw up in my living room!!

Oh and our Disney trip is back on, for those following that saga! We are headed back to the World from April 27th to May 4th! Jon doesn't want to go, which is fine I guess. We will miss having him there, but my mom is coming and it will be fun to have a girl's week. Well Owen will be there too, but eh, he is still little enough! :-) I am so excited to get the planning under way. Luckily we are able to do it REALLY cheap, I mean cheap cheap cheap, but still be staying in an awesome place!

Kids are good, all is good. Jon turned 30! YIKES!! We are going to the lake for the Winter Festival and life is going well overall. Hoping that business picks up when the weather warms, but as of now we are weathering the storm that is slow season and taking advantage with getting our house in order!

Stay tuned....night night!

Ways to Make Money....

From home...I know they exist.  People tell me oh think of something you love and do that.  Well I am not a crafty person.  I try, but it is just not me.  So what can I do from home that I like and make money at it.  I used to like babysitting, then I got my own babies, so I don't know how much I want to take on others kids.  I have thought hey I could watch a couple kids before and after school here, but how does one find these children.  I live in a neighborhood full of hermits!!  Not a single soul is ever out and about around here.  We have lived here four and a half years and I know one neighbor well (they live right next door) and we kind of know the people next to them. This is not for lack of trying either, I go on walks with the kids when the weather is good, but usually we are the only ones out....ok I am rambling!

I love to bake, really I do, but what can one do with baking?  I am not a crafty baker.  Meaning - I have not artistic bone in my body!  I can bake a good cookie, but decorate it, not in my capablities!  Cupcakes, you got it, make them look all cute, nope!  So that isn't going to get me far.  So that leaves my love of Disney/addiction to it!  Well that is something that costs me money, not makes me money...hence needing the job!!  LOL  So any mommies out there know of a way to make some cash from home?  Legitimate ways?!  

I have tried a few and they all are fake and frauds, but oh well live and learn.  I had a friend tell me to think about working as a Disney Specialist for a online travel agency.  Hard to get into and VERY little money it.  I looked into it years ago and found that it is a lot of work without much pay.  I would love to help people plan their trips and maybe charge a fee, but come on, who is going to pay for that?!  No one I know, which leads me to trying to promote it to strangers, which won't happen.  

Speaking of Disney - looks like our trip that I was looking forward to is on the back burner.  :-(  We were going on the cheap (yes you can do Disney fairly cheap!) and things got a bit out of control.  Emma is a bit sad about it, but she is three, this to shall pass for her, right?  It seems that at 3 she is remembering more and more.  When she was just a little younger I could tell her that we were going to go to Disney and then have things fall through and she wouldn't remember anything about it.  Now this trip is all she talks about.  She keeps telling me all the things she wants to do there.  So tonight I told her it was looking like we weren't going to be able to go, that things were just not working out.  She said it's ok mommy, we can go.  I said no Emma we can't, but Mommy will try.  I told her that we were going with friends and they may not go anymore and she said oh ok, we can just go with Meme then!  I told her Disney costs lots of dollars and she told me she had money in her piggy bank!  Poor kid!  :-(  Just doesn't get it.  

I don't know who is sadder about the possible cancellation of our trip - me or her.  Oh well, we will get back to our happy place.  Now to figure out when...lol!!  If you are a friend of mine on facebook or in real life or where ever, you know that Disney is always on my mind, poor Jon, and everyone around me!

So back to money making at home....anyone with an idea for me, just comment and tell me.  That is assuming there are people reading this!!!  LOL

Happy Reading and good night!  :-)

I'm Back

So I have been MIA from this.  Not sure if anyone (besides Margie...lol) has even read this, but hey, it is a way to get some thoughts out so who cares...lol!!!

So since the last post lots have gone on.  Lets see - the holidays have passed and we are now in the crappy winter season.  If only it would snow instead of rain/ice I would be happy.  But no!  We just have grey skies and ZERO snow.  It snowed ONCE all season that was worth while and that was still fall!  I HATE winter and I mean hate it.  If there was a way for me to be a snow bird I would.  I would love down in FL all winter.  Preferably right near Disney, where I would have a part time job and go to as often as possible!!  Those that know me well know this is true!  

We are a family of Disney addicts, while minus my husband, he could take it or leave it, probably leave it.  I don't get that mind set, but then I guess you have to be a Disney nut to get it!  Emma is a Disney nut in the making and Owen loves all the sing along songs, so I think I will be in good company with my Disney addiction!!  We are getting a trip planned and put together for the spring.  Unfortunately there are no trips to break up the winter!  Big MISTAKE on my part!  Last year we went down for almost two weeks then end of January and that really helped to make the winter go faster.  Next year my non-Disney hubby wants to go for ESPN the weekend, which is usually the end of February/beginning of March, so I don't have to be convinced and am already starting to get pricing ideas for that!!  At least I have an April birthday trip to look forward to for now!

I am really looking forward to taking Owen.  He will be 18 months old when we go again and luckily thanks to sleep training he is now a fairly good sleeper - at least at night!!  We decided to sleep train him using the book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.  I highly recommend this book to those parents at their wits end.  I can't get him to nap at all, but we went cold turkey from cosleeping to his crib on New Year's Eve and haven't looked back.  We had one rough night two days ago, but I think he is cutting teeth (which the book claims to not be an issue for sleep, but I disagree) so I think and hope we are over that little problem.  The book is great, but I am a true believer in altering it to fit your needs.  For the most part Owen will nap once a day in his crib for about an hour and then he may or may not go back to sleep if I hold him for another hour.  He still seems to need a morning nap because he definitely gets cranky, but if he takes one, then the afternoon nap gets hard.  UGH...parenting!  So difficult!

Emma on the other hand is and has always been a great sleeper!  We had a rough patch with her when she was a new born, but she has always slept well in her crib.  We moved her in at 10 months and she never gave one issue.  The kids share a room right now since we only have a 2 bedroom house and poor Emma has to sleep through Owen's crying on a rare occasion and she does!!  The rough night we had a couple nights back involved Owen waking at 12:45am, 2:45am, and 4:45am.  She slept through all of them!!  And we are talking 30 minutes of constant crying!  She is getting so big!  It scares me!  The things that she says and the thought of her getting bigger by the minute really make me so happy and sad at the same time.  I am not looking forward to full time school and all that, but I digress, that is a whole other post.  I just have to shake my head at her when she calls me ridiculous or her latest is to tell me that "accidents just happen!"  At least I know she is listening to me, right?!  

Well that is it for tonight.  I am really going to try and keep up on this.  I have been informed that on Wednesdays bloggers post pictures, so I will try to remember to do that tomorrow and then I already have an idea for my next post....ways to make money from home!

Stay tuned and happy reading!!  :-)  Night!