Mini Break

We've been having a tough couple of week around here recently.  Skip has been working a lot of overtime recently {thank God for the extra money!}, leaving me alone with Little M and the two crazy puppies.  We had a few days of miserable rain that left me and Little M just plain stir crazy.  I've been dealing with family stuff, friend stuff, and what the next step for our family will be.  Some days I'm on my game and some days I just want to sleep all day {though that's never actually an option}.  I've been dealing with loneliness, happiness, and STILL trying to find balance in my life with everything I want to get done.  All in all, we could use a little break!

So tonight {once I get off my lazy butt} we're packing up our stuff and heading down to the beach again for another mini vacation {*huge* thanks to my parents for letting us use their house again!!!!}  I'm excited to get away, unplug from everyone, and spend some quality time with my two favorites.  It is going to be the last time we get down there while the weather is still so warm so I'm hoping to also get in a little sun worship time.  Be back on Wednesday!

8.24.03

Today is a very special day.  Seven years ago today my life changed forever, though I didn't know it at the time.  I met the man I would spend the rest of my life with, my Skip.  Here is the post I wrote last year recapping that special day and the beginning of our relationship!  I love you more and more every day Skip!

08.24.03

Seven years ago today my best friend Kat invited me over her house to hang out in her backyard. It was a gorgeous summer evening and she and her boyfriend were having a few friends over. I had just finished my summer job as a camp counselor and was looking forward to a week off before heading back to University in Connecticut for my junior year. I was definitely not looking for a boyfriend. 

My friend casually mentioned that a Marine was going to be there {I already sort of had this

huge thing for military guys}. I just thought that it would be someone I could talk to. Little did I know that this whole evening had already been planned out. Skip was best friend with Kat's boyfriend. Skip had been in their kitchen a few nights before. He was lamenting that he was looking for a girlfriend and proceeded to describe his 'perfect' girl. Kat jumped up and exclaimed, 'I know her!' He had apparently described me to a T. They then set the ball in motion for us to meet.

Anyways, I got to Kat's house and ended up sitting next to Skip on the wooden picnic table. We talked all night until he had to leave {he was in the police academy at the time, oh yea and was bald because of it!} I had a great time and told Kat I would definitely hang out with him again.

We hung out again four days later and the night after that went out on our first date. After that night I was done, I never looked at another boy after that. I was 20 years old and had just found the man of my dreams.

The past six year have been the best of my life, since I have had Skip by my side. We have been through so many happy, wonderful, sad, trying, amazing times together. Here's a little rundown of what we have been through:

- long distance

- college

- Police Academy

- Marines

- deployment

- engagement

- wedding

- death of a friend

- hospital visits

- pesky neighbors

- parties

- jobs

- buying a condo

- selling a condo

- buying a house

- two dogs

- tons of fish

- and a beautiful baby girl

There is no one I would rather go through life with than Skip. He is my rock and so much more than I ever dreamed of in a husband. I love you baby. Here's to many more years and memories together!

A picture of Skip and I the night we 'officially' became boyfriend/girlfriend. We looked like such babies!

Getting to Know Me

Getting to Know Me!!


The Q's.

1. If you could host a Reality TV show, which one would it be?
Hard Knocks {though not this year with the Jets...yuck...but I would love to spend time with all the football teams!

2. Do you put your seatbelt on before or after you start the car?
Before


3. Shave or hair removal cream?
Shave

4. What's your favorite feature in a house?
A large kitchen that is truly 'the heart of the home' {unfortunately mine is not really like that}

5. What is your favorite "Fall" scent?
Cinnamon 

6. What tv show are you looking forward to seeing the most this Fall??
Grey's Anatomy!!!  I cannot wait to see what the aftermath of the whole shooting is and how they will handle it all

7. Personal Shopper or Personal Chef?
Chef...I love to do my own shopping too much!

8. What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of "Fall"?
FOOTBALL!!!!!

Aquarium

Last week Little M and I surprised Skip with a little family day trip.  We headed up to the Norwalk, CT Aquarium.  I had been there previously on a field trip with my students a few years ago and Little M and I met one of my college roommates there back in April.  It is only an hour from us and just perfect for a fun day trip.  We had a great time and can't wait to go back again soon!  As usual, our day can best be shown through more than you want to see a few pictures!

Checking out the penguins

More penguins

She liked the big blow up penguin even more than the real ones though!

Look at that face

We saw real sharks

And a giant shark mouth!

Her favorite exhibit though?

The meerkats!  Who all came right up to see her

We also ran off some steam in the 'kids area' that they have.  All padded play area for kids up to 5.  GREAT help for parents!  She ran around enough to walk around nicely with us.

My favorite picture of the two of them

A little fisherman in the making!!

It was just a really great day and a nice break from our usual routine!  Definitely go check it out if you live in the area!

Toddler Schedule

I am really interested in reading about other people's schedules...especially when they have kids around Little M's age.  I have always believed that kids thrive on a schedule but obviously the exact schedule depends on each child and each family situation.  This is a basic idea of our day with Little M! {things definitely change depending on what shift Skip is working, and what we have going on, but this is pretty much it most days}

7:00-9:30 - Little M wakes up anywhere in this range.  She has always been a screamer as soon as she wakes up, so we just sleep until our little alarm clock gets us up!  It varies, but most days she wakes up around 9 {*love* this by the way!}

9:00-10:00 - Milk, breakfast, Mommy attempts to get dressed for the day, get Little M dressed, Little M watches some TV {Sesame Street, Mickey Mouse, or Barney}

10:00-12:00 - This is normally when we run errands or get stuff done around the house.  Also my parents are coming over to see Little M this is the best time.  She is happy, full, and awake!

12:00 - 12:30 - Lunch

12:30 - 2:00 - Play outside, go to the park, or play inside

2:00 - 4:00 - Little M naps.  I either get things done or nap myself

4:00 - 5:00 - snack as soon as she wakes up, play inside, play ouside, or go to the park

5:00 - 5:30 - get dinner ready

5:30 - 6:00 - dinner

6:00 - 6:30 - playtime either inside or out, sometimes the park

6:30 - bath and put on jammies

7:00 - snuggle on the couch while Little M has some milk and we watch one of her shows {Elmo or Yo Gabba Gabba usually}

7:30 - Bedtime routine {kiss the puppies, brush teeth, story, prayers, bed}

7:30 - midnight - Hang out with Skip, have friends over, watch TV or a movie, or get things done...oh and blog of course!

Midnight or 1:00 am - bedtime for me and Skip!

What is your daily schedule like?

Pool Party!

On Wednesday Skip, Little M and I donned our swimsuits and headed out to Skip's Lieutenant's house, about an hour away.  Every year the LT has a giant cookout / pool party for everyone Skip works with.  He has a gorgeous house, amazing pool, and tons of food...always a good time.  I was slightly worried about keeping an eye on Little M with a pool and all those people around, but I knew the fun would be worth it.

We left our house around 1:30 and took the drive, just over an hour away.  Little M's naptime is from 2-4 so I was hoping she would nap in the car.  And she did.....for 15 minutes.  Not good.  We were some of the first people there and it was good to get Little M used to her surroundings before all the other people showed up.

Right off the bat she was fascinated by the pool.  So we got her lotioned up and I took her into the big pool.  Even though the shallow end was only a few inches deep, Little M got scared.  So I tried taking her into the hottub that is connected to the pool.  And that is pretty much where we stayed for most of the party!  She was more than happy to stand around the inner edge of the hottub with some of the other kids and play with all the bubbles that the jets produced.  And I was a very happy Mommy to get to sit and relax in the warm water while Little M was contained and happy!  It was a great party and it's always nice to get to socialize with all of Skip's fellow officers.

We left around 7:30 and got home about 8:45 and Little M was awake the whole ride!  I could not believe she only napped for 15 minutes the entire day and was not a screaming mess!  We put her right down to bed but it took her about an hour to finally settle down and go to sleep.  Overall it was a wonderfully relaxing and fun day! {unfortunately I brought my camera but did not take a single picture:( Oh well, sometimes you just have to just enjoy life in front of the camera, and not just behind it!}

I'm in Love....CSN Review

The other day I received my items from CSN stores the other day and I am in LOVE!  I had a little trouble deciding what to order, since all of their products looked great!  I finally decided to order some new bedding for Skip and I to go with the paint make-over I gave to our bedroom a few weeks ago {post coming soon about that!}  Anyways, I ordered some new 600 thread count white sheets and a new tailored black bedskirt.

First off, the items arrived in just a few days...much faster than I thought it would take!  I opened my packages and after a quick washing, made up my new bed.  The black bedskirt looks super chic and there is nothing I love more than bright white sheets.  And wow, were those sheets comfortable!  I think our old sheets were only 250 thread count, so the 600 thread count makes a *huge* difference.  In fact these sheets inspired me to go out yesterday and pick up a new duvet cover since our old one looked so dowdy compared to our new sheets!

I was very happy with my CSN experience and thank them for this opportunity.  I will definitely be ordering from them in the future!

Disclaimer:
I receive a credit to purchase these items from CSN but I was not monetarily compensated.  These opinions are all my own.

It May Only be Preseason but.....

Tonight I will be glued to the TV watching the New York {really Jersey}

Take on the New York

at the first game in this brand spankin' new stadium.

The winner will have bragging rights for the rest of the season.  {unless the Giants lose...because we'll still brag anyway!}  

FOOTBALL SEASON HAS BEGUN.....

LET'S GO BIG BLUE!!!

The Life of a Cop Wife

I have a total love/hate relationship with my husband's work schedule.  As far as cop's schedules go, we are very lucky that we know what days he's working for the whole year, for the most part.  He has a rotating schedule of four days on, two days off for three weeks and then one week of five days on two days off.  One week he works 7 am to 3 pm.  The next week he works 3 pm to 11 pm.  That only changes when he takes overtime after a shift.  Overtime is another eight hours long.  Then there are the days he works at the police academy from 8 am to 4 pm.  And then sometimes he works a funeral or parade for the honor guard, and those hours depend on what he's doing.

Are you still following me?  Haha.  Needless to say we have three different calenders/agendas each filled with when and where he is working.  Because he is rarely off on a weekend I can never seem to keep straight what day of the week it is!

When we were first married, and I had a set Monday through Friday 7:30 to 3:00 teaching schedule, I hated Skip's work hours.  I never saw him when he worked nights and we hardly ever had the same days off {he is only off on the weekend every three months or so} It was just miserable.  I was only happy when he worked days and I was able to see him at night.

Now that I am home with Little M all the time, I like his schedule a little more.  The weekend thing doesn't bother me anymore because I like getting to run errands or go away for a few days during the week, when things are less crowded.

The night shift is now my favorite shift that Skip works.  We are able to spend time together in the morning {or trade sleeping in!} and it's nice that I don't have to cook dinner all the time!  I also like that I use those nights to get things done around the house, projects and whatnot, or I can have some of my friends over for girls nights!

The day shift is my least favorite now, since I am up with the baby when she gets up and it's just her and I all day.  But it is nice to be able to sit down and have dinner together as a family.  And Little M loves when Daddy does bath and bedtime!

Overall Skip's schedule isn't too bad.  It makes things just a little more interesting for us!  Over the years we have realized that the best way to keep us on somewhat of a normal schedule is for Skip and I to stay up until about midnight every night.  It keeps us on a better sleep cycle than if we went to bed early when he works days, and then late when he works night {and I just cannot bring myself to go to bed before he gets home...I miss him to much and love recapping our days together when he gets home}  That means that we don't get all that much sleep, but we manage.

The one thing I will always hate is that Skip does not get holidays off.  There is the rare occasion when his days off happen to fall on a holiday, but those are *very* few and far between.  Hopefully in a few years he will have enough seniority to take a vacation day on holidays, but for now Little M and I just invite ourselves over to my parents alot, haha.

So there you have a little glimpse into the life of a cop wife!  All the other cop wives, how do you deal with your husband's crazy work schedule?

ps...bottom line though....as a cop Skip is never deployed...I would *much* rather have this crazy schedule than have him gone!

CSN - A Hidden Gem!

Before I became a blogger, I had never heard of CSN stores.  I am totally embarrassed to admit that because this site is just *amazing*  They have tons of products...everything from  luggage to bedding to baby stuff, and everything in between!  Their site is easy to navigate and they prices are great.

I will be doing a review of one of their products soon and I can't wait to share my experience with you.  Stay tuned!

I Have No Need for Caffeine

I bought...I tried....we did not get along.  Me and coffee that is.  I brewed my very first cup the other day {well for myself, I make coffee for Skip all the time}.  I used my chocolate flavored coffee, added ALOT of sugar, and my caramel flavored creamer.  It's light color barely even resembled coffee by the time I was finished.

I took my first sip....ewww.  It was still bitter and just plain yucky {I could not think of a better word for it}.  But I was determined.  I could not let this daily morning treat beat me.  I would prevail!  So I suffered through all the way down to the bottom of my travel mug.  It wasn't pleasant but it wasn't as miserable as say eating a baked potato.  Maybe I *could* do this every day.  At least for the caffeine jolt.

So I waited for the jolt...the ability to easily chase after Little M while cleaning the house without the slightest bit of exhaustion.

What I got instead was the jitters.  I felt sick I was so shaky.  Not quite the experience I was looking for. So while I can throw back Diet Cokes with the rest of them, apparently coffee has way more caffeine in it than my body can handle.

I think I'll stick to hot chocolate.

August Love

I love August for two very simple reasons.

1. It is HOT, HOT, HOT

2. There is football on

I need nothing more in life

Blog Awards!

Thank you so much to both Resisting Perfection  and Mrs. for these blog awards!  I am super flattered!!  First the award from Resisting Perfection.  

The rules for this award are to thank the person who gave you the award, share ten things about yourself, pass this award onto ten bloggers who you recently discovered and think are fantastic and finally contact the bloggers to let them know you’ve picked them for an award. 

Ten Things About Me:

1. I will never like coffee {experiment failed...will post about it later!}

2. My Nissan XTerra is my dream car....I just *love* it!

3. I am a certified teacher in two different states

4. I don't know what career I will choose when I go back to work after our kids are in school

5. I am really starting to love running...even though I'm not actually very good at it

6. Secret Life of the American Teenager is my favorite guilty pleasure

7. I love that I still keep in touch with friends who have known me during every stage of my life

8. My sisters are two of my very best friends

9. I use to hate being short {I'm 5'4} but now I love it!

10. My signature dish that I make for every party is bruschetta with fresh mozzarella...yum!

And from the Mrs. I got this fabulous award...

I am going to combine these two awards and pass them BOTH on to ten bloggers.  I bestow them on:

1. A Police Wife

2. All About Ava

3. Because of Love

4. Growth Chart Moments

5.Just another day in our {midwest} paradise

6.Life as I Know It

7. Loud and Proud Monica

8.Mommy Madness

9. Party of Five

10. Perfectly Imperfect

Go check out these fabulous blogs...enjoy ladies!

I Have a Need...a Need for Caffeine!

Whitney over at The Glamorous Life of a Housewife wrote this post the other day that completely spoke to me.  I too have always wanted to drink coffee, but absolutely *hate* the taste.  I've tried it several different times, with always the same results.  And like Whitney, I could really use a morning caffeine fix to get me ready to chase after Little M all day! {and Diet Coke is not really acceptable at 7:00 am}

So today, while food shopping, I picked up some new supplies.  First I got this:

Chocolate cappuccino coffee.  Yum!  I can get used to anything with chocolate!  And then I grabbed some of this to add in 

I got the caramel flavored one.  Even chocolate and caramel have to make coffee taste good, right?  I plan on giving it a try tomorrow morning.  I'll let you know how it turns out!

Wordless Wednesday

Best way to spend a day after being apart for 24 hours....

Anniversary Recap

I am so far behind with this recap!  Skip and I had the most wonderful anniversary together.  And the best part....Little M did *wonderfully* hanging out with her Aunt L!!  She fussed a little when we left, and again at bedtime, but that was it!  She was a smiling happy girl when we came to pick her up.  It also helped us that Aunt L took almost 300 pictures of Little M over the 24 hours...it was so nice for us to get to see her smiling face and all the fun things they did together.

We started our afternoon off by going to the movies.  We saw "Inception" and I just loved it!  Very intense and visually awesome.  After that we headed back home to change and feed the dogs and then went out for a late dinner.  We at this place Howard's Seafood on Long Beach Island...my favorite restaurant on the island!  The food was delicious {soft rolls, warm bruschetta, salad, chicken for me, surf and turf for Skip, and the most amazing brownie sundae for dessert!} and the restaurant is right on the bay, so the view was gorgeous.  Once we stuffed ourselves silly {yeah I definitely put on 5lbs in a week on vacation!} we took a late night walk on the beach, where some people were setting off fireworks!  Totally illegal but very romantic for us!  We then spent the rest of the night and the following morning relaxing and enjoying the baby-free house!

I of course will now leave you with some pictures!

Getting ready to go to the movies...my shirts says "Bride of 5 years"

My husband

Dressed up for dinner!

Taking pictures of ourselves

Love this one!

Every year gets better with this guy

Getting to Know Me!

The Q's..

1. If you were to win an award today, what would it be for?
Most Tired or Least Motivated to Unpack


2. What is your shoe style?
Stylish, but comfortable...I *love* me some heels, but sadly life as a SAHM does not give me much opportunity to wear them!

3  Does your car reflect your personality?
2006 Nissan Xterra in silver....I think so...it's stylish, a little flashy, dependable, and a little rugged...like me!

4. If you could take over someones body for a day..whose would you choose?
A boy...it would be so fun to get to eat that much!

5. Love or be loved?
Both

6. If you were on death row, what last meal would you choose?
Pizza and Swedish Fish

7. Have you been on vacation this Summer, if so where?
Yes, just down to the Jersey shore a few times

8. What is your favorite food related guilty pleasure?

Chocolate covered pretzels...yumm!!