Let's Pray Together Cubs Fan

Eddie Vedder played THIS LIVE after composing it at the request of Ernie Banks who I've had the pleasure of knowing when I worked at Illinois Center Athletic Club once upon a time. I asked him for an autograph for my grandma after sneaking faxes in for him in the office on numerous occasions. He didn't just sign his name - he wrote by Grandma (life long die hard 91 year old Grandma) a sweet, long letter.

Go Cubs!!

Friday Evening & Weary

Sometimes I'm blinded
by exactly what's right in front of me

Other times I'm broken in pieces
but a little bit more put together than the day before

I'm always wishing for things I can't have
I'm always crying for things that I've lost

My heart is a framed picture of bliss, and peace, colored brightly and sweetly
With cracked and fragmented colored lines of gray and black of sadness and regret

Realizing that I just "am"
Helps me sleep better at night.

Lessons in Mommyhood #06

At some point during your child's life, usually between 18 and 24 months - DINNER TIME WILL SUCK. Accept it as it is, move on, dodge the food before it hits you in the face, and laugh. Remember why you became a mom and what a joyful experience it has been so far. And if you get the sudden impulse to just smack your husband in the face or hit him over the head with a large object during dinner, because nothing he says or does actually alleviates the situation, but only makes it worse.....resist the temptation. Save the energy for something else later..wink..wink....that might only result in another mess maker though.

Lessons in Mommyhood #79

What do you do when your toddler insists on going outside and you instruct him to put on his shoes (they're CROCS - he's not like tying gym shoes or anything) and he reappears with one shoe on (ready to go, of course)...while the other shoe is completely lost...for days....and he has not yet acquired the verbal skills to explain or remember what he did with the other one? Try this - CHECK THE FRIDGE - preferably the bottom two shelves.

Lessons in Mommyhood #44

When your toddler wanders in to the bathroom with an EMPTY cup and emerges mere seconds later with that SAME cup, but its FULL of water and your child is happily drinking it, don't immediately ASSUME that the little bugger actually reached up turned on the faucet and filled it up in that short amount of time. GO BUY TOILET LOCKS and then try your best to teach him to say..."I'M THIRSTY!"

(I swear I thought I was going to BARF - well, hey, the dog is still alive after all these years, it must not be THAT bad)

The Parrot and The Potty Mouth

I've been thinking about alternative words to swear words since, according to my parents, I was born with a dirty mouth and I now have a toddler who repeats EVERYTHING these days. He especially repeats the swears with fervor and exuberance. Suggestions are welcome. Breaking bad habits are hard to do.


These are the ones I've come up with so far:

Mother Fletcher (I love Shrek), Darnit, Gosh Darnit, Dangit, Shute, Dag Nabit (Was that Foghorn Leghorn?), SNAP (my favorite the older kids use it), Flippin, Crikey, and blasted.

Can you help me damnit?

Lessons in Mommyhood #92

Never let your child sit on your lap when he or she is eating watermelon and you're wearing white shorts...brand new white shorts.....that you got for your birthday and they really look cute on you......and your husband says, "oh, just go buy another pair."

But you don't want to...because you really really liked the ones you got for your birthday....they look cute on you....and your kid just ruined them. Then, your kid just laughs their little laugh and keeps eating their watermelon while they laugh at you and your white shorts...that you got for your birthday....that are... I mean were really really cute on you.

DJ - Happy Birthday. We are so lucky to be spending your day with you. You have become more and more of a smart, funny, creative, and most importantly kind-hearted young man as you've been getting older.
We love you...enjoy the Girl Scount Thin Mint Ice Cream Cake tonight!!!!!!! :-)

Love,
Dad, Erin, Lizzy, Massimo & Ozzy

Another Helping of Summer

I forgot to mention how much fun my summer has been with these three ladies:

swimming, going to the park, making smoothies, tossing water balloons at each other, making crafts, and kidnapping, fuzzy, yellow catepillars. My son is getting in touch with his feminie side as well.

Thank you for bringing so much laughter in to my day!

Serve me up some more summer

I just checked all the numerous awesome comments on my blog and I realized I haven't posted in over a month. Is it just that i don't have anything important to say? Probably...maybe. Does anyone read this? Maybe hundreds and no one even comments. Still, it might be easier to comment on someone's blog if you didn't have to type that silly 'word verification' and then your e-mail address and your password and so on and so on.

What I will post to the world is that my summer is going very well. I am very much enjoying myself after a rough end to spring and beginning to realize that what I try so very hard to control and the path I carve out for my life, isn't mine to decide. I'm learning to let go a little...and just...see....what....happens. I don't feel like talking so much, just to talk. Maybe I will listen more, and not just half-ass listen, but I will really listen with my whole heart.

My summer is going a little like this:
I'm reading an incredibly wonderful book for leisure (you have to comment if you want to know the name of the book), I'm taking an educational research course online and I'm not THAT scared of statistics this time around, I have strawberry stains on my fingers and I'm walking around barefoot in tank tops. My shoulders are tinged like the color of my hair, and I get to spend every beautiful day with 25 lb extension of my heart that is outside of my body, constantly on the move, curious, thoughtful, and absolutely gorgeous. He makes me cry in a good way. I finally purchased that coveted fire pit and we gathered around it last Sunday and made s'mores.

Everything really is okay. You just have to pause and take a few deep breaths.
P.S. Dominic, I love you very very very much - thank you.......

To VEG or not to VEG....that is the question

After I graduated from college, 11 long years ago, I decided to try vegetarianism for a month. One month, no meat, no problem. I did it because I thought I would lose weight and I didn't. I piled up the carbs to compensate for what wasn't on my plate. I did continue to eat fish and dairy.

I've always been interested in it because I don't really like meat. I eat it because its there and we've all been taught to have that perfectly well-rounded plate. Technically, if you cut out all meat including fish as well as dairy and eggs, you are a VEGAN.

So, last September I glanced at Alicia Silverstone's controversial naked ad for veganism and of course got the link to HERE. I secretly got the starter kit, not to freak out my meat loving husband. Now Ingrid Newkirk (PETA founder) is sending me freakish e-mails every week about animal cruelty and asking me for my support. I even got some really cute PETA address labels for filling out a survey. I am concerned with ethical animal treatment. Am I a fanatic? Absolutely not, I don't march for animal rights or throw red paint on the women with fur, but I am an animal lover (YES, I love OZZY....sometimes) and I don't believe any animal should die in a cruel and inhumane manner either.

Now, to me its more of a health concern. I once read a book called "Eat Right For Your Type" in which the premise states that our bodies function more efficiently based on how we eat and exercise for our specific blood type. I am an "A+" and according to the author, I should be eating all fruits and veggies, and very little dairy. Even more so, I've started to pay attention to the way my body feels after I eat. Lately, I have been noticing that when I eat meat and cheese and even milk, I get stomachaches - - bad ones. I've also noticed headaches after too much processed/refined sugar. Am I on to something?

It just seems really hard and inconvenient to go VEGAN. Last week I decided to start looking at labels and more specifically, the "ingredients" list. It seems like dairy is in EVERYTHING. One of my best and dearest friends has been dairy-free for a few years now. She is allergic to it. Her 18-month old is dairy-free too (in order to be on the safe side of the genetic pool). She does really well now and she really sticks to it. She misses ice cream, but she eats the soy stuff. I bet its not as delicious though.

Which leads me to price. All food prices are soaring right now and the vegan section of the grocery store is sparse and expensive. We are all trying to save money, enough said.

Then, there is my Italian, meat-loving husband, who will technically eat anything you put on his plate (I adore him for that), but I just can't see him joining me. Even though, and I plan to argue with him on this, he gets terrible stomachaches from too much dairy AND he suffers from gout, AND his blood pressure is borderline high. He would no doubt benefit from becoming vegan, but its hard to change what you've known your whole life.

I'm still on the fence, but I heard if you plan to do this at all, you have to start slow, meaning slowly start replacing regular milk with soy milk, substitute red meat for white, READ the labels, and try new things like tofu (which I love anyway). The slower you phase it out of your diet, the easier it is to stick with it.

Yesterday I made a skillet with eggs, cheese, peppers, onions, eggs, and these Morningstar meatless meal starters (which is seasoned and tastes JUST LIKE crumbled Italian sausage).

"Where'd you get the sausage?" Dominic asked.

"At the store," I replied as I watched him eat heartily.

I turn to the kids and whisper deviously, "its not meat."

Lizzy gives me a look. DJ gives me a look.

"What is it?....don't tell me until I'm done. I don't want to know," Lizzy comments.

DJ continues to eat without saying a word.

I proudly announce what it is and that its got 87% less fat than sausage. Their plates are clean. Maybe this isn't too hard after all.

Happy 15th Birthday Lizzy!

We hope your day is absolutely beautiful, just like you, and we are so excited to celebrate with you on this nice, long holiday weekend!

We love you so much!!

Dad, Erin, Massimo, "Little Kiwi", and Ozzy

Earth Day Resolutions

I always start these blog posts out by saying, "I was watching Oprah the other day". Okay, I really do like her show. She had on families that were being challenged, "Can you live on less?" These two families were challenged to spend less; less money on groceries and eating out, less time shopping, watching TV, on the computer, video games, and turning on and off lights. They were also challenged to get rid of the plastic water bottles and Oprah provided them with a Brita.

It was really amazing to see these people struggle because they're just like the rest of us. These families, one with three teenagers and another with two younger kids had TVs and computers in every room and literally struggled as you kept hearing them profess how bored they were and how there was NOTHING to do.

By the end of the week they were eating more family dinners together, interacting more with one another, and becoming more physically active.

Personally, I remember the greatest thing about being a kid was being outdoors, running around, and FINDING things to do. Everything was an adventure, an exploration where we used our creativity to find things to do.

I watched this mom talk about how when she took the video games away from her son, it was similar to watching a drug addict go through withdrawals.

I admit, we watch a fair amount of TV, we don't have one in every room, and we limit ourselves on the computer. Dom and I agreed we are happy that we do always sit down for meals together and thank GOD he's not one of those ADULTS who are addicted to Playstation. Yet, we do eat out a little more than we should.

What I did decide to change was the energy habits such as leaving lights on, the computer on, and even the coffee pot plugged in all the time. I'm starting to turn off the fax machine/copier when I'm not using it. I'm listening to the radio less. Silence is nice. I've even started purchasing the energy efficient light bulbs which Dominic has been putting in the lights we use the most.

I hope my family enjoys the last supply of water bottles. They are no more. I bought a Brita and we'll be using that from now on. Yes, the bottles are convenient, but they are creating too much waste, even though they are recyclable.

Then I also noticed how many paper towels I go through. Maybe a roll every couple DAYS! I can happily say this last week, I only used one roll.

Yeah, so I know all this living GREEN is the rage now, the politically correct movement of our country, but everyone now agrees our planet is in danger and our government is taking steps, even if both parties aren't agreeable. I used to think one family, one person wouldn't make much difference. Well, I USED to think that way. Now that I'm committed to some change, I hope I can pass that along to you.

Senses Alive!

Even though, my Massimo has been sound asleep for an hour and a half already and I'm sitting here working, I can hear the hum of the lawn mowers outside in my backyard and the faint smell of fresh cut grass wafting in from the OPEN windows. I feel like going barefoot and putting on a halter top. I won't even complain if the noise wakes up my baby.

Happy Birthday Dominic

Husband, Daddy, Son, Brother, Entrepreneur, & lover of all things AUTOMOTIVE. You are so good to all of us!

Back in the Swing

Its been 6 years - gasp - since I've taken an education course and here I am, taking yet one of many more I'm sure I'll be taking in the future. Since I plan on returning to the classroom in the near future, whether it be substituting, volunteering, tutoring, part-time, or even full-time, its important, no wait, its required for accredited teachers to have their state certificate up to current speed.

Its an online class too, which means all the coursework is done via an instructor sending us materials via e-mail that we read and essentially respond to with a paper. Towards the end of the ten weeks, we will also be having a few video-conferences with the professor. Sounds easy right?? I'm not sure because I've never done this before, but I'm excited at the challenge.

I think I'm going to miss the face-to face with a professor and a classroom full of educators where discussions are probably a lot more engaging, but for the sake of time and my little guy, an online course is a great option.

After this I am required to take a course entitled, "Quantitative Research". Ugh.

Wish me luck!

Like Father, Like Son

DISC LOGIC

Okay, how many of you have a CD or DVD that skips, especially during your favorite song or part of the show.

For us, its Elmo's World the WILD WILD West DVD given to him for Christmas from my BFF Nicole. He LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVES it. It a was made a few years back, however, the part where Travis Tritt, yup, the mullet-sporting country crooner, Travis Tritt sings with Elmo, it starts to skip. So, MY little boy goes up to the DVD player, pushes the button to open it, takes it out and hands it to me, "MehlmoHHH" which means Elmo in 15 month old baby language. Its become so bad that every times he ejects it form the machine, he scratches it a little bit more and a little bit more, until one day, the DVD player announced on the screen that my son's beloved disc was "unreadable". It also said, "check disc". Okay, I'm checking it, giving it a thorough examination here, and yup, its SCRATCHED.

What are solutions to the scratched disc? Do I need a buffing kit??

According to my almost 15 year old step-daughter, flushing the disc down the toilet is the cure. Yes, I admit it sounds gross, but amazingly enough it WORKED.

I did try another remedy given to me by my (age witheld) sister-in-law, handed down from HER sister, and a remedy they swear by and that's good old peanut-butter.

I tried the peanut butter for kicks. I actually used Massimo's soy nut butter because our peanut butter is the extra-crunchy variety and I didn't want to risk more scratches. You know how pesky peanuts can be when you're rubbing them on things other than toast. I massaged a think layer on the back of the disc and rubbed it in in a circular motion. Then, I rinsed and gently pat dry with a paper towel. No such luck.

So, I resorted to the toilet, two flushes, then a rinse with warm soapy water and light dry with again, a paper towel.

"ALA Peanut Butter Sandwiches!!!!" (you old school Sesame Street people know that line) IT WORKED. Maybe it was the warm water, who knows, maybe it wasn't scratched as bad as it might have just been severely smudged. Anyway....his disc is working great now, thanks to the porcelain GOD!

Anyone else have a remedy??????

Rainy Day Thoughts

I need more patience

The thought just popped in to my head while the check-out clerk took soooooooooo long just to run my groceries through and ask for my payment.

I can't think of anything better to do on a rainy day than going to the grocery store and then pushing all of our wet, plastic grocery bags out to the truck with a tired and hungry baby in the cart.

No, really m'am, I can bag these myself, really...no, wait, I can't, my son is about to dive head first out of the cart.

On Monday, the excitement of the weekend dies down and even though I don't work outside the home and have to get dressed up to head out to a "job", I still miss Dom and the kids, especially when the kids spend more than 2 days here and we're constantly laughing.

At least I have Ozzy laying next to me, snoring while I post...and should be working.

KEEP THINKING WARM THOUGHTS & ENJOY THE CHEESE BELOW.......now, I feel worse thinking about tender Karen and her untimely death.

Early SJP

Last night, amidst washing my mom's china, my grandma's silver, ironing my Easter tablecloth, folding laundry, picking up toys, and indulging in some Easter candy, I came across this movie (Girls Just Want to Have Fun) on FUSE channel. Okay, I was 10 when this movie came out and I can't REMEMBER how many times I've seen this movie. Sarah Jessica Parker does not look haggy at ALL, as she cha chas and flip flops with other stars like young Helen Hunt, Shannen Doherty, Jonathan Silverman, and Lee Montgomery, who SO resembles Joey Lawrence.....and.....wait...Lee WHO? What happened to him???

I wished I could have been on Dance TV.

Enjoy the video - this is the end!!!!!

"let's DO it!!!"

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I bet you're thinking....wow, this kid looks really Irish! Hold up...wait a minute...my parents named me MASSIMO!! Go figure. What I liked best about my 2nd St. Patrick's Day is that my mom let me have a green cupcake at the Kids Club even though I cried when she left. Then, I got to sit in the truck and watch my favorite Elmo video while she ran lots of errands. Then, she made me and my dad corned beef and cabbage and I ate a lot of it. I hope you all had a good one too.

Massimo CONNOR Rizzi ;-)

Massimo's 1st Cinematic Experience

Nobody even mentioned to me that we would be taking a huge risk bringing our 15 month old to a MOVIE...to a THEATER! I figured, I would just go sit in the lobby with him if he started making too much noise. No need, he was an angel laying on my lap in his Dr. Seuss pajamas, paying homage to Horton. Of course he had no understanding of what was going on, but he watched silently, rarely shifting at all, calm and peacefully corked with his favortie "chooch". After 90 minutes in a dark room with siblings and cousins, and the smell of stale popcorn, he drifted off to sleep before the climatic conclusion of one VERY terrfic movie.

staring at a blinking cursor

I wanted to post something, but can't thing of anything really specific or profound to say. HMMMM, what do I want my 4 faithful readers to know??....UMMMM, today I don't feel so stressed, because the workload is to a minimum, I went to the gym this am, my house is clean, Massimo ate well, played with his buds at the gym, and drifted off to sleep at 1. It's quiet right now, and I'm going to go switch the laundry when I'm done.

I guess I'd have to say, and this corny, but I hope that whomever is reading this is feeling happy and peaceful right now, and if you're not feeling so good, whomever you are, I am sending happy vibes through this post. You will feel better tomorrow. Go drink some water and stretch, that's always a quick fix for me.

Love,
Erin

Hi JULIA!

I loved this picture my niece, Julia, took last night. I told her I was going to post it on my blog. Isn't she adorable????

Hi JULES!!!!!!!

Single Ladies Get Down on One Knee

In case you're interested, here's what I was reading today about Leap Year.
Interesting yet, virtually irrelevant truths or untruths.


The Gregorian calendar, which now serves as the standard calendar for civil use throughout the world, has both common years and leap years. A common year has 365 days and a leap year 366 days, with the extra, or intercalary, day designated as February 29. A leap year occurs every four years to help synchronize the calendar year with the solar year, or the length of time it takes the earth to complete its orbit about the sun, which is about 365¼ days.

The length of the solar year, however, is slightly less than 365¼ days—by about 11 minutes. To compensate for this discrepancy, the leap year is omitted three times every four hundred years.

In other words, a century year cannot be a leap year unless it is divisible by 400. Thus 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap years, but 1600, 2000, and 2400 are leap years.

What are your chances of being born on leap day?
About 1 in 1500.

How many people were born on leap day?
There are about 187,000 people in the US and 4 million people in the world who were born on Leap Day.

The rules for determining a leap year
Most years that can be divided evenly by 4 are leap years.

Exception: Century years are NOT leap years UNLESS they can be evenly divided by 400.

I also read that possibly originating in Ireland or Scotland, Leap Year was the ONLY day that a woman could propose to a man and if he did not accept, he was liable to compensate her with money or goods...

Our Trip to the Ghost Mall

Is it me or should they just CLOSE Randhurst? Dom and I ended up there on Tuesday evening because we purchased our cell phones there and his was acting funny. It wasn't cracking jokes or anything, the SIM card just kept failing. So, his phone was failing him. There are only like 3 good stores in there - - Victoria's Secret, where I rarely shop anyway. I mean, its still a great, pink store, its just too pricey for underwear in my opinion. Then, there is American Eagle, which I don't shop at either since I'm too old, but the teens love it, and then the old standby Carsons, which has shoes and Clinique and the occasional occasion dress.

Massimo was getting hungry, we weren't going to make it home in time to make anything decent, so we headed up to McDonalds - CLOSED??!! Huh? and the only restaurant actually attached to the mall (Applebee's) GONE too!

We almost went for the Chinese, where they shove a sample of some kind of chicken in your face and threaten to stick the toothpick in your eye if you don't take it, but I wanted pizza, as usual, and we went with Sbarro's. We had the whole food court to ourselves.

After taking Massimo for a ride in a disease infested train (which I wiped down twice with a WET ONE) and two minutes in the massage chairs for Dom and me, we finally left the Ghost mall and headed to Costco to shell out some real cash.

Here is my opinion on Randhurst - - rebuild OR knock it down. Its a waste of money and space when there is nobody to shop there, since the stores are all second-rate anyway.

What do you think?!

Good Eats in Wrigleyville

If you're ever in Wrigleyville and have a taste for Asain/Thai, GO TO Penny's Noodle Shop.

It's been almost 10 years since I've lived in the city and one of the things I miss the most is the great food. Not that 'burbs don't have good food, after awhile you just get used to what's around.

Yesterday Massimo & I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with Mara & Ella. Neither Mara and I had been there in years, although we had talked about going there. Busy schedules permit very little time for getting together, but we MADE it there on a very cold DAY in February. Thankfully, it was not too busy.

Lucky for us we have kids that hang out, eat well, and enjoy each other's company. After more than an hour of noshing on Japanese Gyoza, Spring Rolls, Satay, and other goodies, we left there warm and full on gooooood food. (although Mara did jump out at a Bakery on Southport to grab us some brownies). It actaully brought back a lot of memories of being in college and hanging out in the one on Diversey too! I don't think I had ever even tried Thai before Penny's.

Anyways, its so great. If you're ever down there, stop by. Try the THAI ICED TEA!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to communicate to those around you how much you truly love them. Cupid shot the arrow at me almost eight years ago and life has never been the same. You just "know" when its meant to be and it's ironic how somtimes unfavorable circumstances in your life cause you to detour, lead you down an unknown path and smack dab in to the "right" person. Rather than get all sappy in a blog, click here for a history of Valentine's Day!

PS I hope my boys liked their heart-shaped pancakes, even though they were
multi-grain and ughhh....healthy!!! They were made with love.

OLIVE OIL TIP

I have a slight crush on Dr. Oz. Every word he says is like the gospel to me. Hey, its okay my husband likes Fergie, Jessica Alba, AND Jessica Biel. Appearing on Oprah, yes, the Oprah I always claim to dislike, but mention all the time, he was doing chin-up and he's got himself some really nice biceps, mmhmmm, he really does.

Alright, he's talking about adding years to your life. Antioxidants, Green Tea, and OLIVE OIL....everyday.

Here is the interesting part: he said that when we heat the olive oil in the pan BEFORE we place the food in the pan, we are burning off the Heart Healthy Omega 3's contained in the olive oil which is the main reason we are consuming the olive oil in the first place.



The key is to MIX the food in the olive oil and THEN put it in the pan. The food absorbs the olive oil more efficiently and we get the Omega 3's!!!

He is a genius!!!!!!!! Don't you agree?? Anyhow, if you don't watch Oprah, I bet you've never heard it and I bet you're going to start doing it the way DR. OZ says you should.

Missing Mould

Here is a copy of an e-mail I received from WXRT Promotions last week:

Hey Erin,

Congratulations! You've won a pair of tickets to see a very intimate
performance from Bob Mould live from Studio X at Martyrs' on Tuesday, February
5th! Martyrs' is located at 3855 N. Lincoln Ave in Chicago. Doors open at
5:30pm and the show begins at 6:30pm.

Mara and I (who have seen him before) were so excited. If you don't know who he is, he founded an 80's punk band called Husker Du, and in the early 90's he fronted another band called Sugar. He is awesome and I've been a fan since college.

Needless to say, Tuesday morning I was running on very little sleep, caring for a sick baby, who required a trip to the "DAHK-TAH" (Massimo language), and awaiting yet another snowstorm.

I ended up persuading XRT to put Mara's name on the list since she lives RIGHT down the street from the venue. She didn't end up going either. The weather was bad and she'd rather of not gone if I wasn't - - awwwww, I love my friend. She said she was more content to hang out at home with her husband and her baby.

Ten years ago and I would have been so utterly disappointed if I couldn't make a concert, or anything fun, exciting, and adventurous for that matter. Okay, I was completely disappointed I couldn't go. But, ya know..things change, party girls eventually grow up, and babies happen.

I know I'm not missing a thing......

Enjoy the Bob Mould and if you like him, check out his new album at www.myspace.com/bobmould. He is terrific.

Happy Birthday Brian

Happy Birthday to my BIG Brother, "Brian Owen Owix", whom I love very much. Thank you for always being such a great big brother and always looking out for me.

Love,
your little sis, "Karen"

Believe it!!!!!!!!!

Supposedly New Kids on the Block are reuniting. They must be out of money. Yes, I was a HUGE fan and even met a young Mark Wahlberg, when a bunch of us silly girls attempted to get a piece of the action at the hotel they were staying at. We must have been out of our minds.

OH...the memories of youth....and call me crazy, I would go if there was a chance I could round up Jessica, Natalie, Leslie, Becky, Meredith, Megan, Kelly...are any of you still out there???

January Isn't All That Bad

I feel a little bit stuck, a tiny bit trapped...because its January, which for us Midwesterners means cold, and snow, or better yet that nasty "Old Man Winter" staunchly guarding our front door. I neglected to get Massimo a pair of boots or snow pants. He's not walking yet, so what's the point?? (FYI - he's soooo almost there - keep reading).

So as I stare blankly out the window in to the oh so quiet snow-filled street, I begin to brainstorm about the things I actually like about a month I so rightly hate.

Hmmmmm......it took me awhile.

Snuggling under the covers is one of my all-time favs. Massimo is FINALLY sleeping through the night, but the new morning ritual is him cuddling up between mom and dad in the early morning hours. Its quiet, its warm, and there is peace. January is actually....peaceful.

I also love a hot cup of java too. I have this "warming" theme going on here.

No walks, no running (unless I can sneak off to my mom's for an hour on the treadmill which just isn't the same), so I've decided to fall in love with YOGA again. FitTV has a 22 minute program that varies every other day. Running will always be my first love, but YOGA is defintely my center for January.

As I spend many hours of the day with Massimo, practicing his steps, between his naps, laundry, phone calls, and my office duties, I sneak in sunny daydreams about the coming months. How nice spring will be, going to the pool in the early mornings sounds heavenly, and the elusive "out-of-state" trip we are working on gets my blood pumping...oh yeah, and the YOGA gets my blood pumping too.

I promise myself ahead of time to appreciate every summer day - as far off as that may be.


At least there's American Idol!! Oh - and LOST starts next week. Gotta love the tube!!!!

My 2 Grandmas

Word of the Day
nonagenarian \non-uh-juh-NAIR-ee-uhn; no-nuh-\, noun:

A ninety year old person; someone whose age is in the nineties

Happy "that its a" New Year

Happy New Year everyone. I finally feel like I'm catching up on everything. The decorations have been put away, the returns made, the cookies eaten (mostly by ME). I'm finally catching up on the end of the year Paint Boss work. Dominic had a phenomenal year - his first completely on his own. He is living his dream of being his own boss and he is certainly good at it. I am no doubt his biggest supporter and #1 Fan (not to mention his trusted partner and sounding board). We took a really big chance last year and we made the right decision.

The kids are growing up before our eyes. Lizzy is halfway through her freshman year of highschool and heading off to Disneyworld next weekend to sing with chorus and DJ is that much closer to junior high with an itch for football (we really hope he decides to play this year). Its hard to believe that when I met them, Lizzy was in 2nd grade, and DJ was just out of diapers. Speaking of diapers, our little man, Massimo had a great first year. It started out a little rough when he was born with jaundis and a hernia that required emergency surgery, but the rest of 2007 sailed by in a flash. He is toying with the idea of walking, still a little unsure with the steps, but afraid of nothing, which is not always a good thing. His vocabulary grows a little bit more everyday since he will repeat (as best he can) ANY word you say. We call him our "little daredevil" or more appropriately, "punk!".

As for me, being a stay-at-home mom and managing The Paint Boss deems no special medal. I do it because I love it, I most certainly enjoy being at home and being Mrs. Paint Boss. Right now I am in the process of completeing the RICA program at St. Mary's Church here in Des Plaines. I will make my communion and confirmation the Saturday evening before Easter. I spend one day a week at church for a few hours with a group of really great people. My faith has truly grown. I do miss working out of the house sometimes, but plan to take a few educational courses this year to put myself back on the map of teaching. I also completed two 5K runs - one in June and another in October, improving my time by about 4 minutes in the latter race.

Does this sound like a letter that should have been in your Christmas card??? Probably, I just didn't have the time to write until now.

I wish everyone a 2008 filled with JOY!!

Love,
Erin