So long, farewell...

I have decided to take a blogging break. My intent was to keep my family and friends up to date with the happy goings on with our American life. I do not want this to turn into a negative blog, and as I am having a hard time with positive right now (hence the lack of posts lately), I will be taking a break. Keep in touch, email when you can. I will post a few pictures here and there of Sean's progress - he is growing so fast! There just won't be regular posts for a while.

Have you discovered Funny Or Die?

Unbelievably awesome website www.funnyordie.com
Here is a sample of the brilliance....

"Prop 8 - The Musical" starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and many more... by Jack Black

Enjoy - and, you're welcome!!!!

It's official!

My Mum is coming to visit! We have been talking about it for a while but it is now official! This photo is from her last visit - Sean was a month old! This time she will be here for his 4th birthday! We have been home twice since but this will be the first time she has been back. How time flies! Sean and I are SOOOOO excited!!!

Can't blog...laughing!

Ricky Gervais is a comedic genius! I watched the first three episodes of the first season last night, and the next two episodes tonight. His little comments are completely hilarious! This is not a comedy for the faint hearted...
Extras is to The Office as Curb Your Enthusiasm is to Seinfeld. Brilliant!!

Another year over...and a new one's just begun

Hooray for 2009!!!

2008 was not my year...though come to think of it, 2007 wasn't all that great either. I am excited at the prospect of starting a new year. I have painful memories that I hope to leave behind. I am looking at 2009 with a fresh view.

Sean and I love the movie 'Meet The Robinsons'. The movie's motto "Keep Moving Forward" has become my mantra. My wish is that it will become a mantra of hope, rather than a reminder to merely get out of bed on the morning. One foot in front of the other, one issue at a time, breathe...

I love Sean more than I ever imagined I could love another being. I know that I can not shield him from life's disappointments, but more than anything, I wish for him to grow up knowing how to trust, to see the best in people, to love.

Perhaps 2009 will the year that I learn to do that again.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

I have never been more glad I found couponing...

As I was leaving work last Tuesday, I got a call from daycare saying that Sean had just thrown up 4 times. Phew! Poor little guy was screaming in the background and the first thing that crossed my mind was "I hope his tonsillectomy wound has healed"!! Could you imagine? Scary stuff. He was completely miserable and pale as a ghost when I arrived. He snuggled with me for a little while then we bundled up and drove home.

Once we arrived home he said he was feeling better, ate some pretzels and two bananas and slept all night long. Nevertheless, he could not go back to daycare the following day so (as his ever-helpful father said he couldn't possibly) I stayed home with Sean on Christmas Eve Day, even though it meant with no pay as I am OUT of vacation time. It wasn't until later that I remembered our policy at work...if you call in the day before or the day after a holiday, you don't get paid for the holiday. It was confirmed today - ZERO pay for TWO days!!!!! Awesome.

And the winner is...ME!!!!!!

My friend Jenny hosts a great (and very funny) blog called Mommin' It Up (www.momminitup.com - tell her I sent you!). She is also the wonderful buddy of mine who has saved me a fortune this year by introducing me to couponing - she is the Queen of couponing!! But I digress...
She has now gone one step further - I won the latest contest on her blog!!!
There are so many fantastic prizes that you will just have to check it out for yourself...
http://momminitup.com/?p=1241
Thanks Jenny and Emily! You guys rock!!!!! Sean is going to be so excited!!!

Are we back in Australia???

It is going to be 71 degrees tomorrow! It should be snowing and freezing cold but if all goes to plan, we will be at the zoo - without the need for jackets, scarves and gloves! It's either going to be a very mild winter...or it will be hitting us really hard later in the season! In the meantime, I will be taking advantage as much as possible!!!


***Update: The severe wind warnings in Cincinnati scared us away from the zoo I'm afraid, but we did head out to Easton in Columbus and score some incredible deals at Gymboree, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma!!! Not a wasted day by any means...

Merry Christmas to all!

Extra Extra!! Read all about it...

You can say that I am corny all you want, but Wondertime paid me $75 for this submission!! Yeah, baby!!!

Read all about it!!!!  Wondertime - January 2009

Those were the days, my friend...

Pop, you are forever in our hearts and memories. You lived an incredible life. You were loved for a lifetime by one of the kindest women on earth. You have a large, wonderful family and I have the honour of being your first grandchild. I have a life full of memories of time spent with you. Sean will hear stories throughout his life of the things you accomplished and of the memories I have. You will always be loved. You will always be missed.

Maybe this will cheer him up...

Meet Lucy.....

Anthony Edwards and ER

I have not watched ER since they killed off Anthony Edwards character. I cried and cried when that happened. As this is the very last season (I think it's their 724th season...), they are attempting to bring back as many original characters as possible. Last night was Anthony Edwards (along with a group of the older characters to make it more plausible - and wonderful - and nostalgic!). I had to watch to see how they did it...you know, since he was dead and all! It was absolutely brilliant. Seriously. I cried about as much as I did way back when he died. It was a look back to the past involving the current chief, and then chief Edwards. They flipped back and forth between past and present and I couldn't look away! I had intended for it to be background noise while I did other things around the house but ended up mesmerized, teary eyed and in love with Anthony Edwards all over again! If you missed it, I highly recommend checking NBC.com to see if they have it online - and watch it. Even if you have never watched ER, it was such a powerful episode. It may have something to do with one of the children involved being a 5 year old boy, not much older than Sean, but regardless...excellent. Great job ER writers. You did a brilliant job.