There IS no place like home...

SO true...there is nothing like seeing and smelling the familiar when you have been away from home! We had quite a week visiting with family. Sammy was sick two days before we left-with what we think was a remnant of Jake's illness the week before. We headed down the Tuesday before and arrived late to get settled in to my home, sweet, home. Hard to believe we all grew up and thrived in that house (just tight quarters), but it was so familiar and homey-couldn't have asked for anything more...well maybe just a healthy family!:) Not long after our arrival, Eric came down with something...still not sure what...He was out for the count for Thanksgiving day. Jake then was taken to an after hours clinic for a high fever-which then confirmed he had strep throat...I felt we were the walking plague. I stayed home with my family in lieu of the crazy shopping morning on Friday, but did venture to get out a bit that afternoon with my sis and mom for pots and pans of all things....good sale, couldn't pass up!

I did manage to see some dear friends in between all of that drama, but didn't get to see some other dear friends because of the time constraints and illness timing,etc. Overall, I was so glad we were able to be home for Thanksgiving..despite all the challenges. I will hopefully be able to catch up with everyone again in a month or so around Christmas!

We traveled home on the best day to travel I might add...who would have thought the Sunday after Thanksgiving would be a problem???!!!!! Note to self...get a brain. After a quick breakfast in Springboro we headed on down...going through torrential rain, traffic, a cramped car, traffic, accidents, detours, did I say TRAFFIC and of course...a tree trunk/limb across the road (seriously!!!) and then...fog...Lovely travels to say the least. We decided to trust our lovely Carmen to take us through another route to our beloved hotel. Carmen is our GPS-so far she has not let me down. We ventured off of I-75 ( I think I would STILL be sitting in traffic right now if we stayed on!!) and headed down a rather rural, scenic route...we contemplated turning around several times, but kept going. We traveled through several "towns"...trailer park communities and were tempted to stop by a local HillyBilly Bar...yes, that was the title. Catchy huh? We passed on the urge and eventually made it "home". The good thing was, we changed our accomadations to a closer, tad-bit nicer Hyatt Place. Sammy said "mom, I'm ready for some room service"...is he his mother's child or what?! We settled into a clean room and the boys crashed around 10pm after a quick run to Panera for a quick dinner.

The boys went back to school this morning and we have resumed a somewhat normal schedule. Today was Sammy's first day in special needs kindergarten...they asked him if he "could talk"...I said just mention wwII and he will keep you busy...His teacher is VERY nice and has red hair too! He is in a small class with only 5 kiddos and a little girl named Ellie was trying to show him around...she is a cutie!! After a little reluctance in letting me leave, he was just fine. He will go ALL DAY here at kindergarten-feeding himself a packed lunch too...in a cafeteria...I think it was tougher for me than for him. I picked him up at 2pm and he had the biggest smile on his face...he loved it and really seems to like his teacher. His teacher said he acted like he has been here all year. That is a relief...so glad to see him smile. Hopefully he will remember this was a good day when I have to wake him up at 6:30am tomorrow!

I enjoyed my day-quite laid back. I worked out this morning, took a shower, watched "Roxanne" on cable-don't remember the last time I watched a movie on cable-during the day! Had lunch and met with a tile guy for the new backsplash in the kitchen and then picked up the boys. I promised Sammy he could pick out where we go for dinner since this was his special day-he picked Subway-his favorite. I included some pics of the day...sorry no rhyme or reason, just kind of summarizes our last week! Sammy's first day of school, our new accomadations, Me, Lisa and Di at our anniversary dinner out, and Sox, my sister's golden retriever she brought with her home to our parents for Thanksgiving! The boys LOVE her dog! The pics we had of my sis and I were not blog worthy!!:)-no makeup!

Two more nights in a hotel and then we get to move in to the new house!! Yeah!!! Miss you all!

The Germans are coming!...

Just in case you are wondering what we do around my place these days...the boys have do something to entertain themselves! Pretending to be in a battle in WWII was the topic of the night. Notice Sammy's deadly weapon-death with a hanger!...And of course with the size of Jake's head, who wouldn't be scared? They at least humor us while we are in such tight quarters. Their creative spirit is always at work and we are amazed at what they come up with.

We spent most of the day watching the OSU-Michigan game and then more football...and yet again more football. What fun. I think Sam has taken over the teasing skills I was so good at when I was a child (right, Sandra?). During the game, Sam kept saying.."Go Yellow, Go Yellow"...with a smirk on his face. Eric was fuming and reiterated we NEVER root for Michgan-Sammy commented he like the blue and yellow team. Eric just gave up and ignored him the rest of the game. Kind of funny!...Eric was not laughing.

I decided to clean out the car and get things ready for the trip home. How about that Di, I have actually started days ahead of time getting things ready instead of two hours before we leave! You must be impressed!:) We are anxiously awaiting to see everyone back home and are counting down the days...3 to go!

It is still very cold here-only got in the low 40's today...as a high! It is supposed to warm up a bit here in the next few days, so that will feel nice-just before we leave for Ohio!

On the mend...

I'm happy to report that Jake is on the mend and by mid-day was out of bed with a light sabre in hand...good sign things are getting pretty much back to normal. Sammy was no longer treating Jake like he had the plague and I think the threat of passing this "flu" is over...hopefully I'm not jinxing myself here! I doubt, really, it was the flu...when they both had it last year, they literally were horribly sick for 8 days...high fevers, vomiting, the works...I think this time it was in something he ate...no more micrawaveable teriyaki chicken here!

I was, however, in this room ALL day...That wasn't so much fun. I can only clean this space for so long. I was happy however to have laundry to put away...that is not something I say everyday!:) Jake got caught up on his homework and seems ready for the morning. Tomorrow is a big day here in Georgia! I actually have a whopping 4 things to do...in ONE day-OUT of the hotel room!!! I'm so excited!! We meet with Sammy's teachers in the morning and then we meet the granite people at the new house for measurements for the new counters. Then we meet with the electrician to go over the breaker box issues in the basement. Then Jake has a follow up appt with his new pediatrician in the afternoon. I'm looking forward to getting around abit and getting some fresh air. I have been using the new GPS and it is so nice...and her voice is actually quite pleasant to listen to.

Ordered pizza for dinner tonight for me and Sammy-Eric got to go to a Georgia Tech football game. The pizza was not very good-so far every pizza place we have tried here isn't worth re-ordering. I have yet to find a good "new york" pizza place even though they mention they are a "new york" pizza joint. Hopefully I'll find something good soon. Jake didn't partake of our dinner quite yet-he was satisfied with a breadstick, oyster crackers and pudding...not taking any chances. I promised him if he was well all night and tomorrow we would take him to his new favorite restaurant down here...Taco Mac. It is NOT a mexican place as you would assume. It is like a Rooster's back home...bar type family joint with wings, chicken,etc...they state they have over 370 types of beer. The boys like it there because of the jumbo ride on games they like to play as soon as you walk in the door. I will say their salso is Awesome!!!..Just like Cazadores for those of you in Ohio. Let's hope things go well tonight and tomorrow!

I already have things packed for next week. Counting down the days...

"Welcome to Georgia" says the triage nurse...

Not really the thing you want to hear in your first two weeks in a new town..."Welcome to Georgia"-coming from a triage nurse from the local ER. BUT, would my life not be as full with such challenges around me? Jake started getting sick about 9:30p last night and absolutely would NOT stop vomiting. As most of you know, we have dealt with this before with the same outcome-inevitable dehydration. I don't know why this kid has such a problem with this, but within hours he just deteriorates. As I debated what to do at 12:30pm surrounded by soiled bed sheets, towels and cooking pan, I knew I should take him in becuase Eric was with Sammy and i knew by morning we would be there anyways. So off we went in the middle of the night absolutely FREEZING our tails off. It was a balmy 27 degrees, which by the way, the nurse reiterated it hasn't been this cold in November since...1959!...think back to my last post...OF COURSE! Just wait...why go to Barrow AK, when you just move to Atlanta GA to layer your clothes!

The doc suspected appendicitis and they did a CT scan of his abdomen-which was completely normal-only found all the contast he drank quite reluctantly, I might add. That didn't stay down long...as soon as the CT was over, out it came. Poor guy. HE was just miserable. After the some IV Fluids and some IV Zofran and morphine, he was out and feeling much better. The doc came to the conclusion he just has a severe case of the flu. Wonderful. That was a relief and considering his history, a pretty short stay in the ER. THey sent us home about 5am with orders, presciptions and of course a note for Jake to miss school for today and tomorrow.

Now the real challenge comes...how to keep a 5 year old brother who is attached to his hip from suffering the same fate. Very difficult in our hotel room. I cloroxed all the handles, tables, faucets, you name it. I stripped all of the beds, towels,etc...got all new linens. All pj's went into the laundry and hands were washed. It was funny Sammy refused to even sit on the same bed as Jake-he sat on the floor to watch tv! We'll see how long this lasts.

Jake is doing much better today-kept fluids down and had a popsicle tonight for dinner. We will try crackers and toast tomorrow if all goes well tonight...now if I can get some sleep I'll be in good shape-and hopefully with much more cheery things to write about tomorrow!

What a weeekend!

Another full weekend here in our lovely lux accomadations. I spent most of our Saturday in our lovely laundry room on the third floor. I should have taken out a small loan-in quarters mind you, for use of their washing facilities....so $30 later...in the past two weeks I have managed to spend at least $30 in laundry-$1.50 for each washing load and $1.50 to dry! What gets under my skin is that people do NOT clean out their laundry lint filter when they are done...have you ever looked at this...closely...after a load is done??? Seriously...hairs and who knows what else are there with the lint. I clean these with a plastic baggie over my hand and discovered with my last load that someone left the dreaded kleenex in their pocket...okay-if you can see the germed up remnants ALL over the washer tub, why on earth would you put it in the DRYER that other people are going to use after you and then not bother to clean it out??!!...EEWWW is all I can say. Thankg goodness for Clorox wipes...I am on my second cylinder! I posted a pic of what i have to do just do laundry. I load up a luggage cart (works quite well!) with my laundry detergent assortments, a bag of change, garbage bags full of dirty clothes ( I don't have wash baskets here), clean laundry bags to fill with my clean folded laundry, Eric's laptop, my cell and anything else I can fit on the cart for my entertainment while I'm waiting and guarding my precious laundry. Fun times!!

We did a little shopping and Eric got me a GPS to keep me on the right roads so I don't end up in Alabama. I am trying to figure out how to work the thing, so hopefully that will not be too difficult for the NON-TECHY person that I am. I am looking forward to using it-and listening to this woman talk to me through the speaker...hopefully she will not have an annoying voice...When we were looking at them at Best Buy, I was trying to figure out how to get the floor sample to speak English... and to no avail. I can see my GPS speaking to me in Russian-seriously, You think I'm joking.

The weather down here is quite cool this week-of course, WE are here. Why wouldn't it be? Record lows are on the books for tomorrow-OF COURSE! Freeze warning...WHY NOT?? WE are here now and this will be unseasonably cool winter and with our luck, a blizzard will follow shortly. Luckily, my overzealous packing methods have allowed me to pull out the boy's winter coats-and mine as well. I had to think of packing for winterish weather for Thanksgiving week when we visit up north, but wasn't thinking we had to use much of them before then-lucky us!:)

Yesterday was fun shopping for new appliances that will be delivered the first week we are in our new house...however, I had quite a headache trying to figure out what the great cook like myself would need in my new kitchen??...most of you must be thinking the same...will anything measure up? I will set your minds at ease, got the basics and they work. All I need. I'll figure out how to do the self-cleaning thing later. ( I didn't have much experience with this in my past home for 11 years-Lisa and Di can vouch for this). I'm learning though...and the local Publix is offering a cooking class-so I'm hoping to be able to do something like that...My class choices will be: Boiling water 101. How to cook food in a pan without getting it to stick. How to cook pasta without it turning mushy. How to cook chicken in an oven at the right temperature as to avoid the leather feel in your dishes and realizing because it is juicy, DOESN'T mean it contains Salmonella. How to use a crockpot. And last but not least, How to use salt and pepper to taste, not MASK your dishes. Just a few I think I might enjoy.

Note to self: DO NOT GIVE YOUNGEST SON ICE CREAM AN HOUR BEFORE BED!! He is staring at me right now across the bed. Lovely...I hope that means he will at least sleep in tomorrow!

Counting down to Thanksgiving week...can't wait!! XOXO

11 Years and counting...

Well, today is our 11 year anniversary and Eric spent it in Dayton (had to fly there yesterday) and I spent it at Kohl's enjoying a little shopping spree-buying ALL on sale! (Di you would be proud!) I lucked out at the register becuase the cashier had just gotten there and I asked her if there are any other additonal discounts, and she gave me an additional 15% off my purchases!...So it was a good day!

It was rainy and gloomy today, but they are in a drought so they really need it down here. It is supposed to get very cool here over the weekend-in the 30's for a low on Sunday...not looking forward to that. I guess it is November, so I'll have to get used to it getting cooler for the next few months. They tell me it will stay mostly in the 50--60's most of the time, but in January it will get in the 40's and even the 30's. That is the coldest month by far. By March, temps can already be in the high 70's to the low 80's, so it will be a few months of winter, but then should subside sooner than what I am used to as a buckeye. I always hated it when it was just plain cold-in the teens or single digits and there wasn't even any snow. You watch, becuase we are here now-they will have a blizzard and record low temps...

Jake gave a book report in front of his class today with many parents in attendance...including myself. He enjoyed it and did well. Sammy was less enthused, but did ok. We meet with his teachers next Friday to go over his school starting times,etc...

I didnt' realize just how busy I keep myself...this hanging out in a hotel room gets a little mundane, but it is what it is. I have cleaned out my purse and re-organized my cabinets and closet-again. I did my nails yesterday (!!!?!!)...I did catch an episode of the Golden Girls again, which I love and again watched the lovely court shows...they are quite humorous!

We are looking forward to our trip home to see family and friends over Thanksgiving...if anyone wants to chat during the day, give me a call!

Inspection all clear!

So many have asked to see pics of the house, so I took one from across the street-I will not bore you with pics of the inside...you'll just have to come on down and see for yourself!:)...hint!

Today was a good day-Jake did very well in school for his second day-met a little boy he sat on the bus with to and from his field trip to a farm. His name is Louis and Jake told me "he has a brown face and is a chinamen- or kornean"..I cracked up. I'll have to say it about this area-very diverse. This is good for both boys to get used to seeing and meeting different people...There is a large community of Asians here, which accounts for the grocery store I meandered into two days ago! I'm looking forward to meeting new people and for the boys to meet some playmates-they miss all the kiddos from Tamarack!!:) Louis like to play star wars-so I'm sure they will be inseparable before too long.

The county finally called to see where Sammy will be placed...he is eligible to continue services with the state for his education since he gets speech and physical therapy. I have all of his paperwork inline and we should be ready to get him into school soon (I'm not TOO eager am I?)...seriously, they both need a routine with some structure and the extended stay is just not cutting it for long periods! Hopefully I will successfully make my way to another NEW building tomorrow and get things set up for him. I am proud to say, no u-turns today! I didnt' miss one turn. Just one short cut turned out to be the scenic route to say the least. I'm getting more confident every day I actually know where I am going!

Today was also the inspection at the new house which was all morning...I was sorry to miss People's Court, but was eager to get some measurments and see all the nooks and cranies. Everything went well and there are no major issues to deal with, thank goodness. I far cry from the first house we had a contract on...my Dad I'm sure is sighing relief!:) We are excited to just get in a house to be frank...I think things will work out well. Dec. 3rd is the big day...

Mommy's home school is closed....at least halfway!

Today was Jake's first day of school at his elementary school. After a rude awakening of my trusty cell phone alarm at 6:15AM, I roused him out of bed and out the door we went at 7am. Wasn't sure how long it would take with traffic, so we wanted to be there by 7:30a to meet his teacher,etc. He was so worried about forgetting her name...so I just said remember "fierce Pierce"...hopefully he won't repeat that one-or at least say where he heard it!

The assistant principal met us in the lobby and walked us back. He carried his new Star Wars lunch box he got at Target yesterday and was quite excited for his day...I was a little less optimistic. But off he went and was just fine. His teacher is nice and he gets his own desk.

Sammy headed back "home" with me for the morning. Listen to this...I cleanded the kichen counters (all two inches of them), swept the floor, made the beds, organized the closet and organized my suitcases (Lisa and Di you MUST be impressed!!), and did the dishes and then I looked at the clock....9:04 am!!!?!...Someone tell me what the heck am I supposed to do now?? I have been a stay at home mom for years, but the thought of having my housekeeping tasks done that early have bewildered me greatly!! I watched HGTV and People's Court ( I think for the first time since judge Wapner!!)...it was quite entertaining...tomorrow I'll let you know what happens on Guiding light...."it is later, the same day...." Sammy enjoys watching the show "If walls could talk"...he calls it the house treasure show...I feel helpless...like I could be doing something WAY more constructive-but it is sad that I actually have to TURN AWAY housekeeping because there is nothing to do!!! Tomorrow will be good because there is the inspection and that will keep me occupied for the morning!!! I'll let you know what happens...hopefully the house won't be condemned!!:)

We went to the book fair at his school tonight and I let the boys each pick out some books-and Sammy's first pick was....you guessed it...."World War II for Kids"....He has been addicted to this since we brought it home. He is fascinated with the Germans and can actually pick out luftwaffe and Japanese planes! He picked out the pages on Pearl Harbor and wanted to read it right in the midst of the teachers reading a story to the kids at the school. He loves history, and this book did a great job explaining and the pics aren't too graphic...so I will enjoy going through this with him....that may be my "mommy leis elementary" for tomorrow!! Forget the kid has no interest in writing his abc's...but he can tell you who were the axis and allied powers in wwII!

U-turns becoming the norm!

Okay...when you all come to visit, I want you to count all the times you have to make a u-turn in this town!! Today it was only 4 times...so many roads I'm trying to get used to....doesn't help with my peanut gallery in the backseat..."mom, did you miss the turn again??! Didn't you do this yesterday?"...I hope I get the hang of this soon...Eric did insist I buy a GPS system-however, that is beyond my knowledge-so I insisted Eric just buy one he feels would work well, otherwise I'll pick the most expensive one with all the gadgets and not know how to use any of them!...and Di, I don't think I've seen coupons for these....but if you see one, let me know!:) If there is one out there, I feel confident you will find it!

Today we registered Jake at his new school-it looks nice and fairly new. The secretary was very nice and I was able to fill out most of the paperwork right there. She did however ask for my address and proof of residency...I filled her in on the details and she assured me Jake could still attend until we actually own a mailbox. He seems excited except his new teacher is Miss Pierce-he said he will have hard time remembering that one since his kindergarten and first grade teachers all began with an F...I said remember" Pierce with a lightsabre"...maybe I should have though of a different way to remember!?:) After we got our paperwork, we just had to "stop by" the Fulton County Department of Health...just a few miles away...and few u-turns later we actually found the place. Quite the experience....our "stopping by" turned out into a 3 hour visit...yes, our immunizations were not up to date by GA standards...both boys needed Hepatitis A shots as well...lovely. Sammy HATES shots...I mean HATES them! Needless to say, it only took 3 nurses to hold him down this time...me being one of them! After all of this...they don't accept credit cards...only cash, check, medicaid, etc...SO after a quick jaunt to the hotel to rob my husbands cash stash, we finally were able to pay. I was glad to get that part of my day over with!

We headed over to what we thought was a super Wal-Mart (if I would have noticed the sign closely it said "Super H-Mart)-I noticed in the parking lot a large contingency of Asian customers...walked inside and realized, it was not a super wal-mart-but a Korean Grocery Store...I couldn't help but chuckle...I needed that!

I made grilled cheese on my one burner that worked and heated soup in the microwave...Okay all of my dear friends...when I come to visit, have a good home-cooked meal waiting!!!:)

Tomorrow is Jake's first day of school...I'll fill u in on the details!!!

I miss you all!!

Homeless no more!!!

Great news today...we officially have a contract on a house!! We are excited to be leaving our deluxe accomadations!! Our close date is set for the 3rd of December, just after we get back from visiting family over Thanksgiving. The inspection is set for Wednesday morning, so I'll keep my fingers crossed that things go smoothly and we won't have a repeat of house #1. I think my Dad will sleep easier now!

Today, we found a barber that was open on Sunday and Jake had his first official haircut with a professional! Check out his groovy new do above! I guess I'm hanging up the clippers...I'm letting his hair grow a little more on the top since it is cooler, but I won't let the hair shag over his ears...that drives me nuts! I'm sure they will both get their marine-like do's come summer. Sammy refused to get in the chair, so I'm afraid he will be a little shaggy until I can locate my clippers to give him a trim. He wears a hat 24/7 so that won't be an issue really-most people don't even know he actually has hair!

I cooked breakfast in our "kitchen"-fun making scrambled eggs with no mixing bowl or wisk...had to do with fork and cereal bowl, but worked ok. Thank goodness I had little salt and pepper packets left over from takeout a few days ago. Got to remember to get some salt and pepper! My fridge is loaded with food, but I couldn't buy food you had to bake in an oven, since we don't have one. Can only use a microwave and stove top-makes it heard to grocery shop that is for sure! Most of you know me and respect my cooking prowess, so I'm sure you all are shocked how well I can function in a non-gourmet kitchen.

We are headed to the boys' school tomorrow to register them and get them enrolled. Hopefully they will start back up on Tuesday or Wed...I wil have to drive them until we actually move into out house in December. I'm sure they are ready for a break from "mommy leis elementary"...or perhaps their teacher is!:)

Hope all is well with everyone!

xoxo

First Week Continued...

Okay, somehow this site deleted the majority of my post, so I will try and continue where I left off and re-post my pics!...I'll get the hang of this yet...

Although this move has been in front of me for a couple of months, the actual task of removing my keys from my key chain and placing them on my once cluttered counters was probably one of the most difficult things I have ever done. I immediately pictured my babies in their high chair sitting in my kitchen and crawling along my tiled floor. I could not go through my house "one last time"...All of my memories of my life as I know it now with Eric and the boys have all taken place in that house. Walking out of the front door was so hard...but I did it and we drove away. I left my precious, renovated gem in the hands of the next owners who I hope will love it as much as I did.

Saying good-bye to all of my family and to my "girls" was again difficult, but after tears and hugs, I was okay. Our new adventure was underway!

Our drive down was actually fun with the boys...Sammy loved every station we flipped through that had any heavy guitar playing...including Black Sabbath (!!?!)...I think my youngest is going to be the head banger in the family!...He also loved the Latino stations...go figure. Jake was pretty much into Star Wars that was playing on the dvd player...easy ride for them, really. Only took us about 7 and half hours and we arrived at our new destination...the Extended Stay Deluxe-and I'll have to say they are a bit lax on the "deluxe"!...After a quick room switch (some serious cleanliness issues) we were able to settle into a nice, clean room with a tv that didn't work....We have managed over the last week now to get pretty much used to this now-they at least supply us with towels and we get to use their lovely washer and dryer for laundry...for a mear $1.50 load. Makes you appreciate your own dryer filter...seriously-try cleaning out a dryer filter of someone else's lint, hair etc!!! Yuck!!!

It has officially been a week today-we have actually found a house we love and placed on offer on it this morning!!! We hope to hear by late morning tomorrow the status and I hope to have good news to share tomorrow-We are hoping to close soon, but will likely be the 1st of Dec.-so more good hotel living ahead for us the next few weeks....good times!

I'll keep you all posted on the latest!! I miss you all! btw-Di and Lisa-you will be proud of me- I have kept my 500 sq ft mini house clean-and the dishes have been done every day!!:) Love ya!

The first week...

Well, it has been almost a full week since we made our trek to the peachtree state! After a week of many hugs and tears, we officially made the big move. Over the last few months, it has always been in front of me