Where is Jillian Michaels when you need her?

Of course, I can envision myself working out and plan on it, but when it comes down to it, I make every excuse in the book to not go. I want to look better, I do! I know the only way is to get off my rear end and DO IT!! I'm not sure what's going to motivate me... I sure hope I find it soon!

My husband has already lost over 20 pounds and his physique is improving dramatically. He's been getting up at 4:30am every morning and doing the boot-camp style exercise. His motivation is that he's 46 years old and wants to be around for our 3 year old daughter. 

The thing is, when I am active, I feel better and I have more energy. I know this! How do I turn this "couch potato" into an active woman? I have a gym membership with daycare provided... I have the Wii Fit... I have the time to go... No excuses! Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!

Sometimes I wish I were Jillian Michaels' sister, then I wouldn't get away with this!! She'd be brutal, but in the end it would be worth it, right? Where is my motivation, my mojo? It has to be here some where.

Just call me.... Suzie Homemaker?

Since my hubby and I got married, I've struggled with what to do with myself. I've worked my entire life, from the age of 13, I started babysitting every day after school. 

Immediately after getting married, I quit my job to stay home with the kids. I love being at home, but I had this weird, guilty feeling that I needed to be earning money. I have sold Mary Kay, knock off handbags, Discovery Toys, and even worked in a Daycare for a while. But in the end, I am at home again. 

For a while, I studied to get my AA in Early Childhood Education. Although, I've only completed a quarter, I don't think that's the right fit for me anymore. After running a daycare in my home for about a year and a half, I have come to the realization that I really don't like other people's kids. LMAO So, going into a field where I'd have to teach other people's kids... um... may not work. 

By the end of October, my daycare will be closed. I'm wrapping my head around being a full fledged Homemaker. I don't know what I will do with myself yet. I used to enjoy sewing and knitting, so I'm going to try those again. Maddi will be enrolled in preschool and other classes. I need to find some hobbies!

Long time, no see...

It has been just about a year since I've even viewed my blog, let alone write anything. We've had a pretty tough go of it since October, 2009. Our family is still in tact, we have our home, and we are all generally happy and healthy... we are very blessed.

My husband got a job, left it, and got another job... LOL He loves the company he's working for now. He is the CFO (I think that's his title... he's not much into titles) for Clean Crawls in Marysville. I'm happy to see him in a job where he's so appreciated.

Kendra met Kevin, and now they are married. I believe they were married on June 3, 2010 in the Grand Caymans. They moved to Sacramento, CA and they both are figuring out what they want to do for careers. Kendra is very happy living in California. We did have a visit with them recently, when we finally gave them their Christmas gifts from last year!

Andrew joined the Army and is stationed in Hawaii. He is happier than I've ever seen him since I've known him. Andy is currently stationed in Iraq where he is taking beautiful pictures and sharing them on Facebook. He calls to check in periodically.

Hannah graduated in 2009 from high school and is now attending Pacific Lutheran University. She's in their pre-med program and loves it there! She spent her entire summer working to save money for school. She is still dating John from Canada... I think they're going on about 1 1/2 years now.

Joshua is still living in Grand Cayman with his mother. We had an awesome visit with him this last summer. I can't believe how fast he's growing, and how smart he is. Josh has a dog, hamster, and now maybe a cat. Unfortunately, he's bored and lonely there.

Madelyn is your typical 3 year old, driving her mom crazy. She is in dance class for tap & ballet... she loves the tap best because of the "noisy" shoes. I'm hoping to get her into preschool January 2011.

I'm closing my daycare this month to focus on the family again. Maddi needs to be able to attend classes and preschool. Dale is tired of additional cleaning when he gets home from work. We both want our house and yard back. My intention is to get back to writing my blog again, studying (although I don't know what, since I'm not sure Early Childhood Education is right for me anymore), and meeting more people.

Happy Birthday to my Wonderful Husband!

Today is my hubby's 45th Birthday... and we're just hanging out in our jammies. We'll be doing his Birthday celebration next weekend. My In-Laws will be over today with KFC for a small family party. The hardest part is keeping him on his chair and not DOING anything!

I am so tired of the rain and gray weather already, and it's only just begun. It's so chilly, I just want to stay inside in my jammies all day, every day.

Yesterday, we went to our local clinic to get Maddi her H1N1 vaccine. It was so busy, they were directing traffic... I couldn't imagine having Maddi wait in that line, so we bagged it. I'm hoping we can get it from her doctor instead of waiting in line like that. So far, I've heard about a quite of few of my friend's kids getting it, but they're all 6 - 12 years old. My fingers are crossed that I get it for her in time, before she is exposed.

Luckily, we have only experienced colds in our household... SO FAR! I'd like to keep it that way! With the daycare in our home, it may be tough... lots of disinfecting to do!

Two Years Ago, Today!

My baby, well not so much baby, is 2 years old today! I can't believe how fast time goes by... it seems like she was just born yesterday! Madelyn Rae Gjerness was born at 8:20pm on September 16, 2007.

Maddi is sitting on the potty, but has yet to actually go peepee in it yet. She likes to help bring dishes to the counter after a meal. It makes me smile when she says "please" and "thank you", especially "bless you". She loves to dance, particularly when High School Musical is on! She is already a shoe diva, which makes me wonder what the teen years will bring... ugh! Maddi got her first tooth on her First Birthday and is still getting them in today (this is obvious by her whineyness).

I'm in aw of Maddi every single day... she makes me smile on regular basis. This little girl is really mine? I am completely and utterly in love with my daughter!

I'm Baaaaaaaack!

This has been one of the craziest / weirdest summers for our family!

Starting with my hubby losing his job at the end of May... it's now beginning of September and he's just started working yesterday! Then helping Hannah out of her situation in Cayman. And of course, last but not least, Josh visiting for the summer (not nearly long enough).

So, things are calming down for us a bit... 

Hannah starts school on Thursday. She's torn about starting school again, but I think she'll get right back into the swing of things. It's her senior year! I can't believe it! When I first met her, she was 12 years old, and very timid. What a beautiful young woman she's turning into!

I am starting an in-home daycare, Little Frogs and Pollywogs! Unfortunately, I can't pursue it too quickly because in our State, daycare's need to be licensed. And there is this orientation that I'm required to attend... but it's always full! I'm on waiting lists for October, but I'll definitely be able to do it in January. Unbelievable!

My little Maddi is growing up so fast! She's going to be two next week! Right now, she's sporting a fat lip from splitting it open last week. I hate looking at it... I can actually feel pain when I do! She's saying more words and phrases... sometimes it shocks me when she says something like "No, not at all" when asked if she likes something... um, do you hear the sarcasm at age two?

HOT, HOT, HOT

Holy crow, it's HOT! I know, I know we do nothing but complain about the weather, here in Washington... it's too cold, too rainy, too snowy, too hot! Well, I think 101* is too hot for anyone! It's cooler in Texas, for goodness sake!

Now, I don't have a lot of room to complain about the heat because I have air conditioning in the house, so we're quite comfortable.

We are sharing it with our neighbors though... I think we're going to have a full house today. I'm not sure how we'll entertain all of the kids, but we'll manage!

MADDI SAID "I LOVE YOU" FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME THIS MORNING! I'm smiling inside and out... nothing can ruin that today!

Marshmallow Madness

On Monday, we returned from a 6 day camping trip to Whidbey Island. I was ready to come home on Sunday, but it was great!

I have a bunch of pictures that I still need to download from the camera... I should probably get those taken care of before I run out of space!

After 3 days of crabbing and fishing, we had 5 crabs and 1 fish... I know, we suck, right? We made a huge seafood boil with churizo, kielbasa, potatoes, corn on the cob, shrimp and crab... It rocks! The fish ended up having worms of some sort in it, so needless to say, we didn't eat it... ick!

We made s'mores every night, Gjerness style... marshmallows, kit-kats / peanut butter cups, and graham crackers. And each night, Josh made his marshmallows get as large as possible... it's unbelievable how big they actually get!

One day, I was trying to occupy Maddi with a badminton racket and birdie. I was afraid the birdie would hurt her, so I swapped it for a marshmallow. Do you realize how far a marshmallow will go? LOL When everyone returned from crabbing, I showed them my new "invention". There were marshmallows all over the entire RV park... we did clean them up. Although, I'm sure we didn't get them all!

Maddi found her shadow... at first she ran away from it, or at least, tried to. Then she was trying to grab it... LOL... very Peter Pan!

My Dream Car

In February of 2007, I ordered my dream car. I ORDERED it! The color I wanted, the options I wanted, everything I wanted... it is my dream car! This isn't a Mercedes or a Porsche, no, nothing like that. Like most people. My dream car is a Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring in Black Cherry. I got it on April 7, 2007!

I love, love, love my car!

The problem is that the lease is up and I have to return it on August 7, which is less than a month away. With my hubby being unemployed, we can't buy it as we planned. I know, it's just a car, but it is heartbreaking.

Minivans, here we come! They are the most economical way to go, and we can fit everyone in them! Last night I test drove a 2006 Chrysler Town & Country, and it was a very nice ride. It had a DVD player, tons of storage, and stow n go... but it had 82,000 miles. This morning I test drove a 2005 Kia Sedona... it was okay and had 41,000 miles. And I drove a 2005 Mazda MPV, and it was almost like driving my CX-9... great features and only 33,000 miles.

I'm leaning towards the Mazda... scratch that... my heart is set on the Mazda. So, we're waiting to see what they come back with for financing. With it being a Saturday, they couldn't talk to anyone... remember, Dale is unemployed, so they have some finessing to do.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking positive thoughts and visualizing myself driving the Mazda off the lot. And, yes, a little prayer never hurt... although, I don't usually pray for material things. Hmmm, I'm not sure how I feel about that.

"Vacation on a budget", seems like an oxymoron, doesn't it?

In 2005, Dale and I brought the kids to Disneyland for a week... for our honeymoon, actually. I know, sounds crazy, but it was fun... AND Disneyland is the happiest place on earth! I digress... this vacation cost us approximately $6000. We have not been on a vacation like that since! Having a family with four kids (at the time) makes for costly travel. Now we have five!

Now, with Dale out of work, we can't even contemplate a family vacation like that. Our current financial situation got me thinking about ways to work our way out of it. Once Dale's working again, with careful planning, we CAN vacation like that again!

After reading the Vacation Budgeting guide by a credit counseling company, I found that if you get creative, you CAN have a spectacular vacation! We have an appointment on Friday with a credit counselor to help us work through the logistics of spending money appropriately and saving money... I know, I know, that is such a strange concept... to actually save money!

Their Website offers reports showing how you spend your money and a debt to income ratio... might I say, I did not like what I saw! But then again, it was based off of Dale's unemployment income, which is about 1/4 of what he normally makes.

What is wrong with this kid?

Yeah, that's actually a rhetorical question. I know what is wrong with JT... it's actually NOT him. It's the PEW.


This kid has been coddled and babied his entire life. Not to mention, poisoned by PEW. Have you heard of something called parental alienation syndrome? I hadn't even heard of that syndrome until reading so many books on trying to co-parent with PEW. So, now that he's here with us, he's not the baby, cuz... um... yeah, the baby is the baby!

JT doesn't even seem to like Maddi, his own sister. I know it's not because he really doesn't like her. He's been trained to think of her as only his half sister and he's told he's not loved enough since he isn't the youngest here. So annoying!

So, yesterday, while all of the other kids are watching their parents light fireworks, JT is pouting because he can't light them. Now, this kid is a pyromaniac... seriously, no joke! He built a bomb with an air soft gun, fireworks and other such materials two days ago. After I was able to scrape my jaw off of the floor, I immediately confiscated it. Who's kid is this?

This morning, I told him that on Wednesday we're going to the Imagine Children's Museum for their light splitting workshop. You know what he said?

"Yawn".

Literally, he said "Yawn".

I told him that he could just stay home with dad and do chores, because I certainly would not bring an ungrateful child to do anything that would be too boring. And proceeded to tell him that being rude and disrespectful will not be tolerated in this house.

I know, I know... he was told by PEW that I am not his parent, so he doesn't have to listen to me. This poor child! What must be going through his mind?

Tonight, Dale and I will be discussing this issue. I know it's not entirely JT's fault, but that does not mean that I should have to endure his disrespect. And I will not.

Wordless Wednesday

This is the happiest dad in the Universe! His son is home for the summer!

The Big Girl Bed

I've been trying to figure out if it's time to put Maddi into her big girl bed for the last couple of months. We've had the twin size bed in her room since day one... made it easier to lay down with her without waking up the other spouse in the middle of the night. Lately, she's been waking up several times a night and extra early, making for rough days.

It seems as though, you're either for the big girl bed as soon as possible or you're for keeping her in the crib as long as possible. A quick poll on Facebook showed a pretty even split.

So, during this past weekend, I rearranged Maddi's room. (The big girl bed was right next to the window and I didn't like that much). I put her crib right outside her bedroom, just in case. After I was done, I had her come up stairs to check it out. Here's her reaction...

"Wow!" "Wow!" "Wow!", in an almost whisper voice, with her arms out and her hands open.

Once I finished laughing at her response... she climbed into her big girl bed. But the real test had not happened yet...

She took her nap there on Sunday... I was not home, so it was all dad. I happened to call him during her nap... he says "I'm laying down with Maddi to get her to sleep". To which I yelled... yes, I yelled, "Don't you dare do that! Do you have any idea what kind of monster you'll create?" Yes, I know, a little over dramatic, but I'm the one usually at home with her and I WILL NOT lay down with her every time she goes down! So, anyway... he had to put her back in her bed 12 times... LOL!

That night, I put her down, thinking that it would be Round 1 of 10 or so. Nope, she snuggled right in and went to sleep! And she slept all night until 7:30am! Ah, success!

Today, she snuggled right in for nap again! Dale just put her down about 10 minutes ago... cross your fingers!

So far, mommy is LOVING the big girl bed! The sad part is that she's not so much a baby anymore.

Introspective

I wonder if life presents us with tough times to humble us? I've never been an extravagant person, but since we're struggling so much right now, it reminds me of how blessed I've been... and still am. Even though it seems as though we are fighting for every scrap for the time being, we're very lucky in so many ways.

Dale's family didn't have much when he was a kid, but he had a very loving home. My family didn't have much either, but I didn't come from a loving home. There is such a difference... things aren't as important... it's all about loved ones.

I don't care about living in a big house, driving nice cars, brand-name clothing or big jewelry... all I care about is that we're together, as a family. So, even if we can't climb our way out of this mess and lose many of our material things, it doesn't matter. That's not what life is about.

We have no cushion to help us out. None. Zip. Nada. Zero.

We've lost about $20k on legal fees fighting my husbands PEW on various issues... usually, it's because she feels she is "entitled" to more money, and that won't end for 8 more years (another story for another time). Dale has been laid off from work 3 times since we've been married, but this is the first time that I'm really worried. This job market is so saturated! One call back in the hundreds... yes, I said hundreds... of resumes he's sent out.

So, now we're both looking for additional work to help make ends meet. Labor, consulting, graphic design, nannying... anything to bring extra money in! Even Hannah is pitching in with babysitting money <- of which, we'll pay back!

Think good thoughts.
Speak good words.
Take good actions.

Three steps that will bring more to you than you can ever imagine.

Today is a good day!

I woke up this morning, feeling... good... actually good! I even smiled first thing in the morning, BEFORE having coffee! Now THAT is a good start to the day!

My house is almost entirely cleaned and organized... there is still stuff on the counters in the kitchen, like most people's homes (I think). You know, the mail stacks up... keys... camera... phones... ... etc... and I don't think there's a lot to do about that, but I'm going to try!

Yesterday, Hannah babysat for a neighbor... while doing so, she ran into another neighbor who is looking for a nanny for the summer! How great is that? She'd prefer to nanny over any other job, so she's super excited!

This morning, I got a response to my nanny posting on craigslist.org, which is also very exciting. We're all trying everything to earn extra money while my hubby is not working!

Today is just a feel-good day! No real good reason. The sun is shining! Wahoo!

I'm just going to keep smiling, thinking positive, and good things will come our way!

Wordless Wednesday

Me and my baby girl having fun at the beach!

iPOD and Sensei GIVEAWAY now!

iPOD and Sensei GIVEAWAY now!

Enter to win an iPod Touch and 6 months of Sensei before June 26th!!

Rockstar Dad

One of the first things that attracted to me to my husband, was his good nature with his children. At the time, they were 6, 12, 14, and 16 years old... I know, quite a load of kids! That was my first thought too!

Dale has the most patient, calm and mellow mannerism towards everyone he deals with... but, most importantly, his teenagers. Let me tell you, I don't know how he held his composure on occasion... anyone with teenagers can understand what I'm talking about.

When Dale gets home from work (well, right now, he's not working, but usually), he spends quality time with Maddi, playing and cuddling with her. When she hears the garage door open, she squeals with delight. It's their ritual to have him put her down to bed each night too. On Saturday mornings, she is so excited to see him home. It is going to be so tough when my hubby goes back to work! She's so used to having daddy around all the time.

Dale, I love you and I'm so proud to be your wife. I can't imagine any other man being my husband and the father of my daughter.

My very first award!

Thank you to Ness from A Military's Wife Mayhem for This Honest Award! This is my very first one... I'm so excited and gitty... I sound like the father from "A Christmas Story" with his "prestigious award"... "it must be italian, it says FRAGILE"... LOL.

So, my next step is to follow the rules and tell you 10 things about myself that are true and then pass this award on to 5 other bloggers.

Okay, so 10 things about me:

1. I am a self-proclaimed, Chapstick addict.
2. I am looking into becoming a Discovery Toys consultant.
3. My favorite food to make at home is Asian, spring rolls, pho, and curry dishes.
4. I secretly like Hannah Montana... shhhh, don't tell ANYONE!
5. I am working towards my Associates Degree in Early Childhood Education.
6. My fantasy vacation is to go some place tropical (Hawaii, Belize?), where I can swim with dolphins.
7. My husband was recently laid off from his job, so if you know of anyone looking for a CFO/Controller type of person... let me know!
8. Needs a momcation... just a weekend is all I ask.
9. I have absolutely no patience, and I'm not exagerating!
10. I have the most amazing step-daughter ever in Hannah. <- She told me to write that one... not that it's not true, but still funny!

Whew! That should not have been that hard!

I'm passing this award on to the following bloggers:

Karla of Confussion Never Stops

Mister M of The Psycho Ex-Wife

Melanie, Sian and Susan of Girl, Get Strong!

Redneck Mommy of Attack of the Redneck Mommy

Baby Rocas Mama of Last Shreds of Sanity

Again, thank you, Ness!

Wordless Wednesday

Sisters, together again...