Patricia arrived this morning at a healthy 6 lbs 1oz, 19.5 inches. Mom and baby are fine. Imagine if she did cook for another 4 weeks???

Mood change......as I sit here with tears in my eyes, thinking of my mom and dad.......thanks Michelle, for posting that Josh Groban song......

Also.......please have some good thoughts for my friend Susie and her husband James, and little Patricia..... Susan's water broke today, one month before Patricia is due. Will get an update tomorrow.....but please let their 1st little one be okay :-)

One sure way to piss me off.......use my Buy It Now option for a jacket......email me immediately saying money order will be going out priority mail that morning......and then 11 days later.....have NO money order and don't respond to any of the 3 emails I've sent you saying......I sent it or anything......FUCKER

Well...forget the Friday Five......vacation this week, LOL

Uh, yeah, so here I am thinking I'm back and I'm all into blogging again, and it's been a week since my last entry.

There is just SO much going on in my life, some stupid silly PTA drama, that I couldn't even begin to explain it here, but that's what's been keeping me busy. I'm not in the midst of it, but adults never cease to amaze me in the high school games that still go on through life...

This coming week will give us American Education Week, and I'll be busy visiting school, going to the 1st quarter Teacher's conferences, the PTA meeting, Girl Scout Leader's meeting AND a pack meeting for cub scouts. The week after that is bake sale/gift wrap delivery and Thanksgiving......

I just can't believe how fast December is approaching. I think I will address my Christmas cards this weekend, so when I go to various Christmas gatherings and get the kid's pictures, I'll just have to reproduce them and the cards will be all ready to go.

December 1st also brings my trip into NYC to see Movin' Out.....can't wait for that.

Oh, it's Friday.....I'll go search out the Friday Five fer ya!! :-)

So...I have to tell you about a silly moment I had at lunch today. We ate at the Rattlesnake Ranch Cafe. They serve exotic meats, as well as the normal southwestern meal...... For appetizers, we had Country Fried Alligator. Everyone tried some, everyone liked it. For our meal, two kids had soft tacos, one had a hot dog, I had a burrito and John ate a special.....Wild Boar Fajita. For some reason, I was thinking buffalo, so when I went to try a piece, I said "hey, this tastes like pork" John just looked at me, and I thought for a moment, then burst out laughing......boar.....pork......basically same thing, LOL......

shoot....looking on their site, looks like we should have gone there on Tuesday......kids eat free, LOL.

I should also go there on a Thursday night, as a friend from middle and high school is the entertainment. One of these days......

Alright, I'm off to nap as WC is on hiatus, and I had a big margarita for lunch as well ;-)

Friday Five

1. Did you vote in your last elections? Yes, I've actually voted in every election, since I've moved here, which was about 6 years ago. I've always voted in the big elections.

2. Do you know who your elected representatives are? Yes, on a national level, I don't know every little joe on the county and state levels

3. Have you ever contacted an elected representative? Hmmm.....I seem to remember calling Sen. Lautenberg's office for some reason to just count my opinion against whatever it was he was voting for but I don't recall what it was now. If so, what was it about? Don't remember

4. Have you ever participated in a demonstration? Yes, a silly sit-in at college that was protesting the tuition hike.

5. Have you ever volunteered in an election? No What was the result? n/a

Today and tomorrow the kids have off for the NJ Teacher's Convention. I have to remember to program the coffeemaker tonight, so that I don't have to get up tomorrow, like I did today, to start a pot of coffee for the poor working soul in my family, LOL.

This weekend we are going back to the Wolf Preserve for Cub Scouts. This time I am bringing Tommy and Steffi as well, since the experience of getting close to the wolves, and making them howl is so interesting and exciting.

I've been status quo here taking care of the PTA books...the pack books...being a Brownie leader...my involvement in Newcomer's...and of course the children's activities. I am so glad soccer is over, since the chill hasn't left the air since last week.

My kids and I are getting psyched up to see HP II next weekend. I'm sure the theaters will be MORE packed than they were the first time, since it seems that even the young ones are into the HP craze.

I really got to get started on our Christmas shopping......I just don't even have the giving spirit in me though, LOL......I'd rather just go out and buy $30 gift certificates for everyone, and purchase 2 video games a piece for my children......just call me Scrooge :-)

Why......why....why do I EVER cook anything on low in my crockpot. All these people complaining that new crockpots are actually cooking things too hot, so I decided to cook my stew on low (since I have a new 7qt. pot), so that it wasn't overdone, as I was not here to tend to it today, and here it is 6 hours later and the meat is NO WHERE CLOSE to being ready to eat. According to the recipe, it was low 7-8 hours and high 4-5. So, it should have been ready in another hour on low.....I think not. I cranked that baby onto high, but I have a damn meeting to go to in an hour.......will I have dinner tonight, or not?? Grrrrr

Hey......does anyone realize I'm somewhat back??? LOL

I feel so energized today......I took a shower before Jazzercise. Since the weather has changed, I don't sweat during class, and I am able to come home and do stuff, rather than...come home, check the computer, putz around, take a shower.....realize it's 2pm and I've done nothing. So today, I went right to food shopping, came home, had lunch, started dinner, and am able to play before I unload the dishwasher and fold a load of laundry.

So.......instead of wasting this energy.....I'm off!! :-)

We spent yesterday out in the raw, bitter chill with flurries watching the kids play soccer. I am SO glad that season ended. Two less things to do during the week and now our Saturdays are free for sleeping in. After we came home from the games, the fireplace was started, everyone was bundled in something fleecy and dinner ended up being grilled cheese sandwiches and soups.....very comforting meals.

We've also spent the weekend reminiscing with Run-D.M.C. tapes, so I decided to burn a CD of three of their albums so we could also listen to it in the car. I've never met ANYONE who knows all the words to their songs, even the ones that weren't the most played ones, except for my husband......I know the lyrics to It's Tricky, Rock Box and You Be 'Illin, but damn......he could probably go up on stage with them, and you wouldn't even notice......

Today, I went to Target and got boots for the kids, so I'm sure there won't be much snow this year :-) and now I am yawning, I've blogged, it's time for bed :-)

Damn.....just looking at my calendar between now and 2003.......I'm booked almost every day for something......and it's like 7 weeks 'til Christmas......I guess I should start making lists and things to do now......why do I feel like I'm NEVER caught up, but just plowing through!!

As for the end of our New Orleans trip......we woke up at 3:45am......yes, the front desk thought I misspoke when I called to set up a wake-up call. On the plane at 7:15 and we were back home by noon.

John left from the airport to go down the shore for a fishing excursion off of LBI and I came home to three kids and laundry :-)

I feel like I want to blog, then I get lazy......maybe I can start small and build up again.....and it's Friday, so no better day to start :-)

Friday Five

1. Were you raised in a particular religious faith? Yes, my parents were strict Catholics, and raised me that way

2. Do you still practice that faith? Why or why not? I rebelled as soon as I could (17 years old), cuz I was tired of going every week and being bored, and not listening, and basically people watching. Lied to my parents about going to church weekly while away at college, etc... Then I met my husband.....we went to church every so often together. Then as our relationship grew, and we got married, and had kids, we were finding ourselves going to church a little more and more all the time. We didn't use the excuse that we had little ones to keep us away from church. They have actually helped us grow in our faith, because, we are now trying to bring them up the same way we were raised.

I feel like we are not as strict as my parents, as we do have our lazy Sundays where we don't get to mass, and then we feel like shit for the rest of the day. We normally don't attend holy days of obligation, but we do try to do the fasting and abstinence during Lent.

Now, since my father died, I know that he was so dependent on his faith to get him through his illness and to the final reward of everlasting life, I've become a little stronger in my own faith.

3. What do you think happens after death? I believe that those deserving of Heaven are whisked away immediately after their death to live with God. I try not to think or speculate as to what happens to those who are not deserving.

4. What is your favorite religious ritual (participating in or just observing)? I'd have to say watching baptisms/1st Communions

5. Do you believe people are basically good? Yes