Nope, did not...

...fall off the face of the earth.
...die.
...catch anything or anyone on fire.
...kill anyone and go to jail. (Notice the jail part of that one)


But I have (in the last month or so)...

...read the Real Simple magazine article that helped a woman who was overwhelmed with papers. Hey - that's me too. So I ordered the below from the Container Store, picked them up and had Steve put them up. Voila - no need to set fire to the pile of papers on the counter.


...fed my son his first cookie. With a face like that, he'll be getting many more :)

...celebrated Luke's first Hanukkah - and the girls enjoyed lighting their own menorahs. Carley even learned that there is no wrong way to spell Hanukkah (Chanukkah, Chanukah, Hanukah, ZEFJKLF:JKL)

...made many people laugh. Got Luke on camera doing it.

...sent out my holiday cards ON TIME this year (last year they were 'late' because I was in the hospital and, stupidly, forgot to bring them with me as I got my PICC line and some nutrition after being without for 2 months).

I hope your holiday was as wonderful as mine. Love, Toni, Steve, Carley, Addi, Luke, Cam (the dog), AddisonFish (the fish - duh), Eric & Ella (the frogs) and Gary #4 (the snail - who has since died)

NEXT POST: My new years resolutions that I hope to keep for at least a week.

Opening mouth for Aunt Becky

I *think* I found Aunt Becky through Julia or Julie...but either way, I feel sad that I've taken so long to find her.

She's asked me questions and I feel obligated to answer.

1) Do you like sprinkles on your ice cream?
Ummm...not so much. I like my ice cream like cream - not chunky with things in it that require me to chew. If I wanted to chew, I wouldn't eat ice cream.

2) If you had to choose one word to banish from the English language, what would it be and why?
Panties. It makes me cringe every time.

3) If you were a flavor, what would it be?
I asked my husband this question - he said "I don't know". Sounds like a good answer to me.

4) What’s the most pointless annoying chore you can think of that you do on a daily/weekly basis?
Clean?

5) Of all the nicknames I’ve ever had in my life, Aunt Becky is the most widely known and probably my favorite. What’s your favorite nickname? (for yourself)
I can tell you all the ones I hate...but Tone works.

6) You’re stuck on a desert island with the collective works of 5 (and only five) musical artists for the rest of your life. Who are they?
Taylor Swift (really do like her music), Michael Jackson (the early years), Beatles (how can you not choose them?), Dave Matthews Band (because if I'm going to be on an island, I might as well chill for awhile) and...let's go with...Garth Brooks.

7) Everything is better with bacon. True or false?
The Jewish part says NO WAY...but the goy in me says YES MAME.

8 ) If I could go back in time and tell Young Aunt Becky one thing, it would be that out of chaos, order will emerge. Also: tutus go with everything. What would you tell young self?
It will get better. Stay away from that stupid boy and remember to go to class.


Hope this was fun.

Ten

Here's the 10 things I'm thankful for this year.
1. My husband, who even though I come up with some of the craziest ideas - still sticks around to help me with them.
2. 3. & 4. My beautiful children who make my day absolutely insane - but come back with something to make me love being a mom.
5. A good OB/Gyn who pretty much saved me and Luke. Thank you 100 times over.
6. That I was able to finish nursing school before I had Luke. Great planning.
7. Passed my boards - and am an RN.
8. That I can finish one thing a day and not feel like a total loser when I look at my list of things to do.
9. My father has stayed off of insulin one more year.
10. My internet friends. Seriously, you guys are much easier to talk to and get advice from than some of my friends IRL...


Here are the 10 things that I'd rather forget.
1. Vomiting over and over again/PICC line in arm.
2. Nursing school pains.
3. The dr on my management rotation that was an ass to his patients.
4. Losing friends to stupid cancer.
5. Being worried about everyone's job in this economy.
6. That delivery...ugh.
7. Fighting with a friend that ended up not being that good of a friend.
8. Feeling like a loser when I tried to find someone to talk to in real life...but didn't really feel like I could call anyone.
9. That awful book that we all tried to read for book club and couldn't get through.
10. All the time I felt guilty for just sitting down and enjoying life.

Headaches...and more headaches

Yesterday, I had three cysts removed from my head. Huh? you say? Yes, I get cysts on my head. (Don't click on it if you don't want to see some pretty graphic pictures).

In fact, I have 6 of them. The dr did not want to remove all at once, so 6 came out yesterday. Today, I'm overdosing on Motrin.

And the headache is getting worse because of my roof being replaced. I'll post pictures when it's done.

But the odd thing about it all? With 12 stitches in my head, I've been told by 4 separate people how awesome my hair looks. My guess is that blood and stitches must really make it great :)

All I want for Christmas....

...or Chanukkah....

I love this lunchbox. It's BPA and Phthalate free - and kids get to decorate it themselves.

I actually received these pads of paper as a gift and they continue to be awesome. Sometimes, if you click just right, you can get them really cheap. Vistaprint is awesome like that!! They also do business cards - super cute if you put "The Mom of X, Y & Z". I have those and they always get a compliment.

I'm not sure why, but these Zoku Quick Pop maker just seems like the right thing to have for summer. While it's not summer now, who can resist getting a perfect popsicle when you want it???

Anything good out there that I *need* this holiday season???

What I don't want for Chanukkah

I received the Real Simple magazine yesterday in the mail. It's one of the few that I get and I love to delve into it and find the cool things that I can do/make/buy.

This issue was no different - even having a holiday suggestion guide. But some of the items...I just don't get. So if you are so inclined to purchase items for people - avoid the following:

Ceramic nuts. Yes, that's what I said. Why would you want something like that? At $45 a pop, you'll get 'basically life size nuts'. They are made in the US - but isn't there something else you can spend your money on that is useful???

Salt Sampler. No, they aren't flavored. They are unseasoned and from different parts of the world. But isn't salt just salt???

Felt soap. For $14, you get a bar of soap wrapped in wool. I don't get it.

Sandwich Shape Cutters. Also $14...my guess is that this is aimed at those that cut the crusts off. But who has time to do a puzzle with their food...and why would they want to??

Tomorrow...items that I thought were cool enough to buy...

Working?

Don't get me wrong - we could definitely use any money I would make working. But it doesn't pay for me to work with three kids in some sort of daycare. Did I think about this prior to going to school? No way. But it definitely hit me now.

It doesn't stop me from wanting to do something. My question today is what 'something' should I try to do?

Do I try to work per diem (when they have a shift) at a long-term facility on the weekends? Do I try to get a Saturday job at a doctor's office? Or do I just take the break and 'accept' being at home??