I Won, I Won!!

I'll post about our vacation soon. But first...

You probably don't remember it, but back in February I wrote a post about Kelly's Cake-Off, where you could visit a website to support a good cause (ovarian cancer research) and also be entered for a chance to win a fancy new Induction Range from Electrolux.

So I went out and entered to win that new stove. And in exchange for writing the post to advertise the contest, I got another entry to win the stove. Then I proceeded to forget all about it.

Imagine my shock when I learned on Friday that I actually won the freaking stove!! I still can't believe it. I can't imagine that I would ever buy a $3,500 stove for myself. I am incredibly excited and can't wait to find out when I actually get the stove. (I'm still in the process of filling out paperwork with the prize fulfillment center.)

I can't wait to get rid of my old stove... it's slow. And it's hard to clean. And it has very unpredictable results when baking. Woo-hoo!! I've been doing a happy dance all weekend!

I hate to pack

Our family loves road trips. Neither Aaron nor I likes to fly, so we would always rather load the kids into the van and head off down the road. I enjoy seeing new places and doing new things.

But I hate to pack. It's not that it's hard, but once you're packing for 5 people it's time consuming and tedious. And then once you get it all packed inside, you have to haul it all out to the van and find spots for it all. This bag can go in the back because we won't need it until we get there. But that bag needs to be up front where I can reach it while we drive. And this bag should be where the kids can reach it. And be sure the diaper bag is somewhere I can find it. And don't forget blankets for the kids to use on the drive. And what about the computer so the kids can watch a movie along the way. And we'd better be sure we have plenty of snacks so we don't have to stop to eat every ten minutes. And wait... did we leave any room for people in this vehicle?

So I suppose that explains that despite my best intentions, I've procrastinated with the packing again. I did all the laundry in the house over the weekend so that I could start packing on Saturday instead of leaving it to the last minute (as I usually do). That didn't happen.

I thought I would do a little packing Sunday evening. Especially once Aaron reminded me that the Glee season premier was Tuesday night, and he didn't think I would want to be trying to pack while watching that. (He was right!) But somehow I didn't manage to do any packing.

So on Monday I was really motivated - I would go home from work and pack everything. By the time Aaron got home from work there would be a neat pile of bags by the door just ready and waiting for time to go. But by the time I got home from work, I wasn't feeling well. And the kids wanted dinner. And so I put it off until a little later. And then it was time to get everyone ready for bed. And then it was time for my other favorite TV show (Big Bang Theory), so I put it off a little longer. And then Brekken fell asleep on my lap. And then it was 11:00 p.m. And so I still didn't get anything packed!

So tonight's the night. I don't really have much choice, since we're headed out first thing tomorrow morning. I will go straight home from work and start packing!!

Except... I did promise Haley I would take her to the library after work tonight. And I guess the kids will want to eat again. And there's that season premier of Glee to watch. It could be pretty late tonight before the packing is done!

And let's not talk about how long it will take me to unpack once we get home! ;)

Signs of Spring

Spring is here! Sure, we had 3 inches of snow yesterday, but that's part of spring around here. Today it's a lovely 60 degrees and sunny and it feels like spring. Some other signs of spring that I've noticed in the last few days...

The birds are singing. Some people would call that nature's beautiful music. Personally, I referred to it as, "Will someone PLEASE turn off that stupid toy?!? It's driving me nuts!" Then I was informed that the noise was actually coming from a bird outside our window. Oops. It was beautiful. Really.

The pollen count is climbing. Not one of my favorite signs of spring, but one that comes around every year. The pollen count grows and my eyes itch and my nose runs. A sure sign that spring is on its way!

People are eating on the restaurant patio. Sure, they're still wearing their hoodies and they shiver when a breeze blows over them, but there's sunshine darn it! That must mean it's time to move from the indoor dining room to the patio area! Personally, I don't see the appeal of dining al fresco when the patio area is right next to a parking lot and a fairly busy road. But at the restaurant down the street from my office, it's very popular. People venturing onto the patio for lunch is a sure sign of spring.

The garage door is creeping open. I can judge the temperature in the mornings by the position of the neighbor's garage door. They are up and having a smoke in the garage in the morning when I leave for work. In the winter, the garage is closed up tight and I can only see the light from the windows to know that they are there. As spring approaches, the garage door starts to open a little at a time. It was open about a foot this morning. By next week - when we are supposed to have temperatures in the high 70s - the door will probably be open about halfway. Once summer arrives, it's open all the way so that they can wave to everyone on the street as they head off for the day.

So though it was hard to believe it yesterday... and even a bit this morning when I shivered my way to work (because I wore a skirt and short-sleeved blouse even though it was 30 degrees - because it's spring, darn it!) spring is definitely here!

Bedtime Snuggles

We've been working harder at getting all the kids to sleep in their own beds. Haley does great. If she wakes in the night, she'll come over to me and ask for a hug, but then go right back to bed and back to sleep.

Preston tends to have nightmares and if he wakes up with one, he wants to be in our bed. We'll usually end up letting him sleep at the bottom of our bed.

Brekken sleeps fine in his crib as long as he doesn't realize he's in there. If he wakes up and finds himself in the crib, he will cry and cry until he's set free. So on those nights he ends up sleeping between us in the bed.

I really enjoy the nights when Aaron & I get the bed to ourselves. We don't have to fight to pull blankets away from the kids. We're able to move around without someone laying on our feet or shoving us out of the bed. It's nice.

But when they end up in bed with us, it's kind of nice too. There's something about that little hand on your arm. The warm baby snuggled against your back. The head cuddled up to your feet. It's sweet to know that you are so loved that they need to touch you, even when they're sleeping.

And I try to remember that even when I'm being elbowed in the head or kicked in the kidneys. :D

Another Quick Funny

Well, Haley didn't find it funny, but I did.

Yesterday Haley wanted to do something and I told her no. She was quite angry at me and told me:

"You make me sad! You just do. And there's no reason why to make your daughter sad!"

I'm sure my laughing out loud was not the reaction she was going for. =D

Quick Funny

Preston just ran into the bathroom and hurridly sat down to use the potty. He must have been holding it a bit too long because when he had finished he let out a huge sigh of relief. He then informed me,

"Mommy, that's my favorite thing to do!"


Maybe I'd better sign him up for youth sports or something so he can learn some new hobbies.

Do you have a winning recipe?

Do you have a great recipe that uses a Ragú® sauce? You can submit your recipe for a chance to win a trip to New York and a $5,000 college scholarship!

Ragú® is teaming up with actress and mom Molly Ringwald to promote the Recipe for a Good Start Contest Visit www.recipeforagoodstart.com to submit your recipe for a good start in life and your original Ragú® recipe that has the family running to the dinner table! Three first prize winners will be awarded a family trip to New York City where they will compete in a nationally televised Ragú® Recipe Challenge for the chance to win the ultimate prize of a $5,000 college scholarship. Recipes have to be submitted by March 31, so hurry!

I'm headed out there now to enter my recipe (Cheesy Tomato Basil Pasta... good stuff!).


Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a Ragú® family package in exchange for this post. No monetary exchange took place.