Adventures in Mommyhood

Happy 15th Birthday Dad!

2012-02-29T07:30:00.000-05:00

My dad is one of those special rare leap year babies! Four years ago today we celebrated his last birthday in which we told him he was expecting his first grandchild.

Four years later, he is turning 15 and that grandchild is now 3 1/2 and his best friend!

Happy Birthday Dad/Grandpa!

Shark Valley Miami

2012-02-28T08:32:00.000-05:00

You'd think from the title of this post that I'm going to have lots of cool shark pictures and stories for you, but Shark Valley doesn't even have an ocean. It's actually smack in the middle of the Everglades deep in the heart of Miami. Naming it "Alligator Valley" would be more appropriate! My sister had gone on this 15 mile bike ride through the swamps before and I always wanted to try it, so bright and early on Saturday morning we did just that. Was I terrified that I was going to get eaten by an alligator? Yes, yes I was lol

Ready to start our hour long drive deep into the Everglades

But first some carbs before our long bike ride began! (Neither of us drink coffee so we just bought water and bagels/sandwiches)

At the park, here we go!

We saw our first gator immediately

That's about as close as I was willing to get!

There were so many big beautiful birds on our trip

But our focus was mainly on the gators, big and small! There were a ton of momma gators with their little babies.. we were smart enough to avoid them!

They had all these nature trails you could go on by foot as well

More gators.. we saw so many that it stopped being a big deal after awhile

Our view for most of the bike ride. Not what many think of when they think of Miami huh?

This bird was eating a fish it had just caught

We're so brave posing with the gators that had their backs turned and were far away ahahaha

At the halfway mark, they have a huge observation tower you could climb up so it was nice to see that in sight!

Yeah they literally have walking trails through where the alligators swim and hang out, NO THANK YOU! I stuck to places I could bike ;)

Climbing the tower

We were a hot mess! It was a pretty view though

After a quick rest, we hopped back on our bikes for the remaining 8 miles *dies*. Like my hot pink sneakers? :P

Check out these pretty pink birds!

It was a fun bike ride! We loved seeing all the wildlife in their natural habitat with no gates, fences, or cages. I do have to admit that biking 15 miles in steaming hot temperatures is no joke. It sounded so easy before we started. I definitely want to do it again though! Maybe with a good bike and not that one speed rentals from the 50s they have at the park!

I'm slipping in the ranks so I'd love a click if you have a moment.. do it for the gators? :D

Fun Birthday Weekend

2012-02-27T08:32:00.000-05:00

My dad is a leap year baby and turning the big 15 (you do the math ;) so we went to South Florida last weekend to celebrate it a little early. Jake begged to do his tradition of going to Walgreens and shopping all on his own, so I happily obliged!

On his way to shop for Grandpa!

Checking out

We celebrated my dad's birthday at the Rusty Pelican Miami on Saturday night. We always celebrate our special occasions here!

The table, minus me

Our view when we arrived

Later, that view changed to this (cell phone shot)

Justin's first time eating at the Rusty Pelican!

The great new menu

Cheers!

Check out Jake's kids meal, fancy!

An international cheese plate we ordered for the table

Crab cake appetizer

Alex posing with the bottle of wine for the table

Keeping Justin entertained

Check out these main entrees: snapper

Filet Mignon

Alex and her endless supply of different drinks lol

We has a special cake made that the waiters brought out to the table and we sang Happy Birthday!

Here is a cell phone shot I took of the cake when we picked it up at Publix

Jake and Grandpa

Jake and Auntie Alex

$751 later we were stuffed and full of good memories! Well it was more like $800 later with the extra tip added on to the auto grat.. but thankfully I had a $1,000 gift card I gifted to my dad for his birthday so we were able to live it up and he still has $200 left to enjoy :D

It was a great evening!

On Sunday morning, we rounded out the birthday festivities by going to Sunday brunch at the Hard Rock Casino Hotel

I recommend brunch here, it's really good!

10,000 calories later, we finished brunch and left for our trek back to Orlando

But first a photo-op!

Road trips are fun!

Even though I'm afraid to step on the scale, we had a great weekend!

Sponsor Love - Not Finding Out

2012-02-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

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How does Not Finding Out, or “NFO” do it? Basically, www.notfindingout.com operates like any other baby registry but with a pretty brilliant (patent-pending) twist. NFO pairs almost all of their inventory into complementary girl and boy versions. So, you register for that super soft snuggly blanket you want, you just don’t know whether you’re going to need the pink or blue one.

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Fitness Friday - Week 19

2012-02-24T08:35:00.000-05:00

This has been an interesting week. I did really good in the exercise department, pretty good in the food department, but it's been a high high stress week for me. I'm expecting my acceptance/rejection letter into nursing school this week (or early next) and to say I'm stressed is the understatement of the year. I think my anxiety has exploded this week. Does stress affect weight loss? It definitely can! Did it affect me? Well read on to see..

Let's see how I did this week!

Starting Weight: 119 lbs

Current Weight: 118.8 lbs

Weight Loss This Week: -0.2 lbs

Wah, Wah, Waaaaahhhh! Yup I've totally affected my weight loss this week. At least I didn't gain from all the stress right? With that said, I was really hoping for another good week this week because this weekend is going to be a huge calorie fest and I'm allowing it! We are going out of town to celebrate my dad's 15th birthday (he's a leap year baby ;) and we are having a huge fantastic dinner at the Rusty Pelican Miami with the $1,000 gift card I won. Then the next morning we're going to an amazing five star all you can eat brunch at the Hard Rock. Plus there will be cake guys, birthday cake! If you knew me you'd know there are some things I just can't resist, and birthday cake is one of those things!

Everything in moderation right? Normally yes, I 100% agree. This weekend? I'm going to enjoy myself and I think after four months of intense dieting and almost 50 pounds lost, I earned it. My husband asked if I was going to be embarrassed posting about a gain next week and honestly, no I am not. The purpose of this was always to be real, show my struggles and my triumphs. There WILL be weeks I/you fall off the wagon, pre-planned or not. It's how you get back up (or not) that really determines your measure of success. Will it suck to potentially gain a pound or two? Yes! In the long run, is a couple of food celebrations a year a big deal? Not if you are healthy and work it off and can moderate the rest of the year! I know the saying "food is fuel, not reward", but you know that? Sometimes food is a GREAT reward and I'd be lying if I tried to tell you it wasn't.

I do however have a plan of action. Apart from that one dinner and one great brunch, my diet will be on point and healthy the rest of the time. I will not be drinking soda with my meals out even though I'm a sucker for Sprite at restaurants. I am also planning on going on a 15 mile bike ride through the Everglades with my sister early Saturday morning.

We'll see what next Friday's weigh in brings!

TGIF everyone!

P&G's One List Life!

2012-02-23T20:08:00.001-05:00

Attention Publix Shoppers! From February 23–29 you can participate in P&G’s “One List Life” promotion, available exclusively at Publix: simply select any four fabulous participating P&G items and pick up a FREE Rotisserie Chicken while you’re at it! Learn more at www.savingspg.com.

This is an excellent deal you guys! Just purchase any four of these P&G items from your local Publix and you get a free rotisserie chicken! For us that's a free (and so easy) dinner!

The thing that I love about this promotion is it doesn't take any extra effort or money for me to get the reward which I love! I go to Publix literally all the time and buy just about every P&G item listed above anyways. I'd imagine most, if not all of you buy at least four of these P&G products anyways so go this week and stock up so you can get that free rotisserie chicken! We totally ate ours tonight with some steamed veggies (microwaved) so dinner took me all of three seconds to prepare, and bonus it was healthy! (which I needed because my awesome husband brought me home a cupcake from work today)

Another bonus? Prices vary by market, but there are great sales on all the participating P&G items. For example, you can save up to $2.50 on Charmin and Bounty, and close to $2.00 on Tide 50 oz. Also check out the savings I got today at my Publix:

Do any of you coupon clip? If you saved your January 29 P&G brandSAVER, there are coupons for Tide, Charmin, Pampers, Bounty, Iams, Pantene and Cascade that you can stack on top of the in-store savings!

It's so easy to cash in your free chicken, the scanner recognizes your 4 (or more) P&G items without any kind of coupon or word from you, and automatically deducts the price. We saved $7.39 from this deal today!

So go on and get your free chicken before the deal ends next Wednesday!

Disclaimer:
Thank you to P&G for sponsoring my participation in this “One List Life” promotion. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Justin is 7 Months Old!

2012-02-23T12:14:00.002-05:00

Justin is now closer to 1 than 0! I'm pretty excited about this actually. I love each month and watching all the cool things he is learning to do and knowing how many awesome things are to come. Jake started crawling at 7 months basically to the day, and while I am not comparing my boys.. I look forward to Justin becoming mobile! Yes I'm one of those weird moms that loves that ;) Plus planning 1st birthday parties is kind of the best thing in life no?! I can't wait to do the smash cake with my sweet boy!

Here is my handsome "little" guy at 7 months old today!

Ok this was from last night, so technically he was like 6 months old and 29 days but it's still adorable ;) See the bandaid on his thigh from his shots? Poor little guy, he took them like a champ though!

Here is a little bit about Justin from this month:

Now sleeps on a semi schedule! He sleeps from 7:30pm - 8:30-10am every morning (with one quick diaper change and bottle at 6:45am). His first nap is anywhere between 10:40am - 11:30am and his second nap is anywhere between 2:30pm-3:30pm. I love this!
Eats 7 ounces every 3-4 hours
Babbles all the time and loves blowing raspberries
Has eaten oatmeal, carrots and green beans so far. He tolerates it all but I wouldn't say loves it yet
Still sleeps swaddled in his Rock N Play Sleeper.. yes still dreading him growing out of it
Rocked on all fours and made a crawling motion for the first time the other day. I do not think he is close to crawling yet though. Maybe he'll surprise me!
Has two bottom teeth
Started his iPad addiction this month. Whenever he sees it, he reaches out and gets really excited smashing his hands all around the screen in delight

I must tell him he's cute a lot, because yesterday I caught Jake telling Justin "you're a cute little boy Justin" lol! Jake continues to be the BEST big brother ever. I'll make a Jake-centric post soon.

Here is Justin's growth montage:

Yay for 7 great months!

Wordless Wednesday - Life With/Without Kids

2012-02-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Yup, this just about sums it up!

BeBe Shopping Spree!

2012-02-21T08:45:00.000-05:00

I needed new clothes desperately. Anyone else have a closet full of clothes that are a decade old?! Yeah that's me, still wearing the same clothes I wore as a teenager. On Sunday, I went to my favorite store, BeBe, to buy some cute new tops. I fell in love with so many of their jeans and shorts out now too, but those will have to wait.

Here is what I bought, I love it all! (excuse the crappy quality and lighting.. I was doing this on a self timer in my dining area.. selfie expert I am not ;)

I bought the same top in white.. yes I might have envisioned wearing this to my future nursing school graduation while I was trying it on ahem...

Cute black top

You can never own too many diamond studded t-shirts!

I also bought this cute hat for bad hair days

Yay for some new clothes, finally!

Sponsor Love and Giveaway! - Origami Owl

2012-02-18T10:35:00.000-05:00

Some tell their stories with words; Origami Owl lets you tell your story with charms! You can select from dozens of available charms that have special meaning to you or match your personal style. They make perfect gifts for mothers, grandmothers, brides, daughters, or any special woman in your life!

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There are several different styles and types of lockets available. The medium locket is about the size of a nickel and holds 4-7 charms. The large locket is about the size of a quarter and holds 7-12 charms. Every locket comes with a standard chain or you can upgrade and purchase an additional chain for a small price. The metal plates and dangles are a great way to further personalize and make your locket special.

I have a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/OrigamiOwlByJennifer) I use to share ideas and specials with my customers. I live in Tennessee with my three-year-old daughter and husband. My goal with Origami Owl is to make enough money for the three of us to take a vacation to Disney World in the fall.

Let's help Jennifer reach her goal so she can take her family to Disney World this year! Jennifer is also sweet enough to want to give one of my readers a $25 gift certificate to anything in her store! Check out the rafflecopter below for details on how to enter:

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Us Mommies? We Move Mountains!

2012-02-17T20:00:00.001-05:00

I love how the internet can connect people. I guess in this day and age, meeting people "irl" is getting less common than meetings on the world wide web.

I came across a local blog one day via a google search of one of my doctors and I'm so glad I did! It turns out Erin and I are basically the same person. We both have boys around the same age, we both used the same OB (whom we love and adore) and we use the same pediatrician for our boys (whom we also love and adore!) Think the similarities stop there? Nope, we also live just a few miles apart, and recently found out we shop at the same grocery store! It was a great surprise to hear my name being shouted in the bakery to turn around and see one of my blog buddies and her sweet family standing there!

Erin is also moving mountains for her son Kaleb who was diagnosed with Trisomy 9 and just recently got our mayor to complete a proclamation to have February 7-14th officially Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week in Orlando, amazing right? Go check out her blog, everything she has done and is doing will inspire you.

Here is a picture of Erin, her husband and her youngest son Kaleb from this morning when a local news station went to film at her house. You can read all about why here

Never underestimate the power of of a mommy, we move mountains for our children! (Especially for our special need children). While Jake's special needs diagnosis is a mere blip compared to what Erin and her family have to go through, I can relate to wanting the best for him and not letting anything get in the way for a normal life.

Fitness Friday - Week 18

2012-02-17T08:34:00.001-05:00

Last week was a pretty crappy weight loss week for me, so I had high hopes for this one! Even with Valentine's week I knew I'd do well. Maybe that's because Jake bought me chocolate and then ate it himself? Or because I bought myself a red velvet cupcake on Valentine's Day, but it was gross so I threw it away after a few bites? Yeah that might have all helped ;) Truthfully, I love Valentine's Day and the sweet treats often given to show affection, so don't feel guilty if you splurged. It's just one day and well, you deserve it! I totally would have had I been given that opportunity (and cupcakes that actually tasted good!)

Let's see how I did this week!

Starting Weight: 120.6 lbs

Current Weight: 119 lbs

Weight Loss This Week: - 1.6 lbs

Did you see that? 119, 119!

I'm in my last decade yeaaaah!! I'd like to thank the academy.. no wait, I'll save the acceptance speeches until I'm actually done, but I'm so close now I can taste it! I know I'll never actually be done, but you know what I mean.. when I go into maintenance mode instead of weight loss boot camp mode. That will be a great day! I'm so looking forward to being able to up my calories and work out which will allow me to eat a lot more than I do now. It will also allow for more "treats" and leniency when done in moderation of course.

You may have noticed that I changed my goal weight this week to "110". That's just going to be a loose goal. If I am happy before that I'll stop, if not I'll just keep going until I see fit. 110 is my max weight loss number, as in I won't go below it because than I'd be too skinny.. but I might not necessarily need to hit that. We'll see the next few weeks! Apparently people tend to gain a lot of weight in nursing school? I can't let that happen to me (should I get in) so I'll keep myself accountable here!

TGIF everyone!

The Interview

2012-02-16T13:36:00.001-05:00

Tuesday and Wednesday were the interview days for my nursing program for those of us who made it past the testing phase. I scheduled my interview for Tuesday because I wanted to get it done as soon as I could, and also because I thought it would be a nice way to spend Valentine's Day... potentially sealing my fate into the nursing program.

My interview was set for 3pm so I had the whole day to be nervous and stress over what they would ask, how I would respond, what I looked like, etc.

I didn't take any pictures of my complete interview outfit, but you can sort of see it here. I did NOT wear those sandals to my interview though! I wore businessy heel boots under my black dress pants. I also wore my Tiffany's heart necklace for luck/Valentine's Day. I adore anything Tiffanys so I only wear it for special occasions

On a related note, I was kind of surprised to see some people turn up to the interview in jeans and scrubs. I understand coming directly from work, but when I used to work at the hospital and a doctor's office in scrubs, I would bring a change of clothing if I was going somewhere important afterwards. I wanted to impress the interviewers as much as I could, so I spent a long time picking out the "perfect" interview outfit, shoes, and accessories.

Fifteen minutes before my interview was scheduled to begin, I nervously walked into the Health Science department's office and took a seat waiting my turn. There was another girl currently being interviewed in the other room when I arrived. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I heard a lot of laughter and what sounded like a positive interview.. so of course that made me nervous to a) top that and b) that she had just taken a spot leaving less for the rest of us.

As I was waiting, another girl showed up for her time slot right after mine. I had no idea how many people had made it to interviews at this point. Finally it was my turn and I was called into the Dean of Nursing's office. The Dean was there to do the interviews as well as one of the instructors. Both of them were really kind and non-intimidating so that put me at ease(ish) right away.

They asked all of us (individually of course) the same set of 5 or so questions. I got through them ok and think I did well, but I didn't leave with an amazing sense of blowing them away or anything like I was hoping to. It was more of a "what would you do in this situation" type of interview than a just "tell me about yourself, strengths, weaknesses" interview like I've done so many times before. I just hope I answered everything correctly and they liked how I would have handled each situation.

At the end of my interview (it was quick, we were each given 20 minute time slots) I just had to ask how many of us were interviewing for the 24 spots. When she said 64, my heart dropped. So basically 1/3 of those of us interviewing would be getting acceptance letters and a few more would get the dreaded "wait list" letter. The majority will be getting rejection letters. On the plus side, we'll all be getting letters either way so there will be no wondering if your acceptance letter got lost in the mail or anything.

I still have hope that I'll get in, but I'm not quite as confident as I have been in the past. 64 is a lot of people and surely there are more than 24 really great, qualified people in that batch. We'll just have to wait and see! The letters will be mailed in about a week and a half so I'll be crossing my fingers until then!

Valentine's Day 2012

2012-02-15T08:41:00.000-05:00

Jake had a great Valentine's Day yesterday! It was his first time in school during the occasion so he got to take part in a cupcake party and card exchange.

He was really excited to open his goodie bag from his classmates and teachers when he came home!

I love all of his expressions each time he saw a new card ;)

Posing with his loot.. he is loved!

Later that day, Jake went to Walgreens to pick ~~himself~~ me out a Valentine's Day gift with Daddy. Apparently he wanted to get me this gaming gift card with a monster on it.. luckily Daddy snuck that away!

He picked out a card..

Some candy..

And a box of chocolate!

Can't forget the gift bag!

Checking out

Ready to go deliver his gifts to Mommy

I was waiting in the car.. he didn't want to wait until we got home to have me open everything so we did it in the parking lot lol

Thanks Jake, I love everything! (even if he immediately took it all back and ate it himself ;)

Jake and Justin bought this for Daddy for Valentine's Day

And I bought Irwin this Carolina Panther's watch

Valentine's Day 2012 is officially a wrap. Maybe next year Justin will be able to toddle around a store and shop for mommy too. Then I'll get double the gifts ;)

Unexpected Day Off With The Boys

2012-02-13T09:43:00.002-05:00

This blog entry is a little late. Usually I have an hour or so in the mornings to myself after Jake has gone off to school on the bus and Justin is sleeping... but today that didn't happen! I bundled Jake up for our freezing cold 40 degree Florida morning and we trudged to the bus stop like every morning. We waited and waited, and waited some more.. all while freezing our butts off. Finally after about 40 minutes I gave up and we went home. So no school for Jake today unfortunately. This happened once before and the bus had broken down but nobody ever called or anything.

I could have walked him, but since his school day is only 2.5 hours long, he would have been really late and Justin was sleeping at this point so I didn't want to have to wake him up for Jake to only have about an hour at school. Tomorrow is his Valentine's Day party so the bus better show up then!

Now onto some cute pictures to hopefully bring a little cheer to your Monday!

I can't believe how big he is now! Check him out on the same Boppy when he was a "little" newborn!

Jake had a lot of fun making Valentine's Day cards for his friends at school this weekend! This is the first year he has friends to exchange with so that's exciting!

Irwin and I love working out as a family, so we didn't let the cold weather stop us from rollerblading this weekend. We just bundled the boys up extra tight, and they loved it!

Awww

Double aww!

Stay warm everyone! I hope your husbands/significant others are out buying you the fabulous gifts you deserve today if they haven't already. Report back tomorrow! ;)

Sponsor Love - 2 Cutie Patooties

2012-02-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

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Welcome Home Layla!

2012-02-10T12:12:00.000-05:00

When I was engaged, I frequented a website many of you have probably heard of called The Knot. Not only was it an immeasurable help for planning my dream wedding, but I made lifelong friends! From there the progression went quickly from The Nest to The Bump. Four years and many babies later our friendships have grown through marriages, divorces, babies, losses, we've shared ups and downs, experiences and tragedies, we've laughed, we've cried, we've bickered, but through it all we have one great support system!

On October 28th, 2011 one of us delivered a micro-preemie at 24 weeks gestation. Weighing just 1 lb, 8 oz Layla was a fighter from the very start. Today? Well today is a wonderful day, because after almost 4 months in the NICU, little Layla won her fight and is coming home to her proud big sister, mommy and daddy!!

Welcome home sweet girl, welcome home!

Fitness Friday - Week 17

2012-02-10T08:27:00.000-05:00

I have to admit, I have not been great with working out during these last 17 weeks. The food and nutrition part I have down to a science, obviously since I've been able to lose 40+ pounds with little to no exercise. But I want to tone up and get those endorphins, so I need to workout. My plan was to get to my goal weight and then start exercising because sometimes working out can screw with my numbers, but I've started this week instead. My dad was nice enough to give us two of the bikes they had in their house that they weren't using and I love going on bike rides! I've also been rollerblading with Irwin and pushing the kids in the jogging stroller while we zoom down the streets. So at least the two exercises I am doing now are fun and not tedious!

Let's see how I did this week!

Starting Weight: 121 lbs

Current Weight: 120.6 lbs

Weight Loss This Week: - 0.4 lbs

Yeah.. so not what I was expecting. I was really hoping to see the teens this week.. and no I don't want to hear that I was gaining muscle, I hate hearing that. I can be both my goal number and build muscle! When I was weighing myself (still daily) on the scale this week and saw my numbers climb upwards, I had an epiphany. So far every month I've had a week where I've gained (and then dropped a little) even though I was perfect all week. So I went to look back at the other weeks this has happened, and sure enough it's at this time every month. So apparently this is my water retention week.. at least that is what I'm going to stick with ;) Next week should bring me down into the teens and that will be a huge celebration!

Happy Friday everyone :D

Nursing School Update and Pictures

2012-02-09T08:53:00.001-05:00

Last week I posted that I was done with the testing phase of the nursing program. The next step was to wait for a letter letting us know if we made it through to interviews or not. They were going to take the average test score from the three days of testing and eliminate everyone who made under the average score. I was really nervous that 50% of us were going to be knocked out of the running right off the bat.

We were able to see our scores right away, but we didn't know how everyone else scored so we had no idea if any of our scores met the average or higher. The national mean test score for the TEAS V is 64.3% and I scored an 84.7% so I was pretty confident, but still nervous.

My letter came and I barely made it into the door without ripping it open into shreds. My eyes immediately glazed a line that said "thank you for your interest" and my heart dropped. I totally thought it was a rejection letter. That's just like hearing "we're better off as friends" or "it's not you, it's me" haha. Luckily I kept reading and it said I was officially selected to move on to interviews yay!! I did a little happy dance, until I kept reading.

My interview is set for Tuesday, February 14th (yes Valentine's Day) at 3pm. By then I need to get my official high school transcripts sent straight to them from the school, my college records, my financial aid statement, and any medical certifications/experience documented. Sounds easy enough right? WRONG. My high school is in Norway, imagine how easy it is to get those sent directly to my school in under a week. I have an International Baccalaureate Diploma for high school, so luckily I could contact their main headquarters here in the States and have them send it over. I paid the rush fee so I really hope it makes it there on time.

They are going to base the acceptance of the final 24 spots on the following 4 criteria:

TABE test scores: I somehow pulled off a perfect score in every subject area on this one
TEAS test scores: The national average: 64.3%, the three days of testing for this program average: 51.3%, my score 84.7%. I'd hope that testing 33.4% better than the average of the other students competing for the spots put me on top or near the top. I hope so anyways.
Interview score: Of course I'm nervous about any kind of interview, but I'm excellent at interviews. In fact I've never been to an interview where I didn't get what i was interviewing for. Plus nursing is in my blood, I know the field, I have the passion, I can rock those questions, I have no doubt about that. With my extensive medical, customer service, and travel background I know I'd make an excellent candidate.
Academic/Work achievements: I have an IB diploma which is the highest level of high school that exists in the world so that gives me a great edge, plus I have worked as an eye technician, and on two nursing units at the 2nd (or 3rd?) largest women and babies hospital in the country. That definitely gives me an edge over people with no hospital/doctor experience

Now reading that, you'd think I'd have this in the bag and not to worry right?! WRONG! Number one, I'm me, so I'll second guess and worry anyways, but number two is I lack something they have bolded and underlined as strongly recommended for the program.. CNA certification. I am not a certified CNA (nurse's assistant) so I will get points knocked off for this. I have no idea how many medically certified people are applying to this program, so this worries me a lot. I just have to hope that my high scores in everything else will be enough. They also are giving extra consideration to people that complete their application the quickest. With waiting for my IB diploma, I'm surely going to be last.

So interviews are next week and we will know by March 1st so it's a pretty quick process. I guess it has to be since school starts at the beginning of April. I have never wanted anything more, so cross all your fingers and toes for me! I will update after my interview on Tuesday and let you know how that goes, if they give me any hints or ideas, and whatever other information I can get.

My last concern will be the financial aid coming through and enough of it, but I'll stress over that if I'm actually accepted into the program. One thing at a time right? :P

Ok enough talk, how about some pictures! We received Christmas presents in the mail this week from my best friend Vanessa and Matt so Jake was super excited. Those lucky two were traipsing around New Zealand and Australia during the holiday season so we didn't get to see them then.

Jake's mind was blown when he opened up the huge box of Play-doh, it's just about his favorite thing ever! (and how convenient was it that I had unknowingly put him in his Santa pjs the night before ;)

Justin was super excited about getting his own present too!

Justin is going to be so stylish in his new preppy polo clothes (I'm such a sucker for polos and anything preppy!)

This is how you will find Jake on any given moment on any day at our house. I think I've clocked in 10 hours just of sitting at that table with him making Play-doh shapes and we've been having a blast!

Thank you Auntie Vannyessa and Uncle Matt!!

Wordless/ful Wednesday - Nail Obsession

2012-02-08T08:32:00.001-05:00

I have a new obsession.. you've probably heard of it, but if not I had to share (and no I'm not getting paid or told to post this, although I wish I was. Hey Sally Hansen, feel free to send me free nail polish strips!)

Meet Sally Hansen's new genius idea: Salon Effects! If you're like me and want perfectly painted nails but suck at the whole opposite handed application/drying mess, etc.. you'll love these! The coolest thing is all the designs you can apply that you'd never be able to paint yourself (well I couldn't at least).

Here are just a few of them!

This is the design I chose for my first set and I love it!

I bought mine at Target and for about $7 a box (one set), it's pretty pricey but such a fun splurge!

Here is a great step by step picture tutorial to show you how easy it is to apply. Even my super picky husband couldn't tell it wasn't actually painted onto my nails.

I have my eye on the glittery pink and silver ones next!

School Bus Etiquette

2012-02-07T09:10:00.001-05:00

I had two other topics to discuss today, but now I need to post a ~~little~~ rant. But first, let me give a little background for new readers. My 3 year old son, Jake, is developmentally delayed and goes to a special needs class every day at a local elementary school with other special need 3 and 4 year olds. He rides the school bus every morning there and back and LOVES it. Because he is so young (and small) he has to be strapped into a carseat on the bus.

Notice the change in car seats just in one day

Today there was a new bus driver with another new carseat. The bus driver was super nice which always make me feel at ease when sending Jake off, but neither one of us could figure out this new carseat. It was like a 5 dimensional puzzle to put together. There are a couple of older kids that sit in the back that even came up and the 4 of us were frantically trying to figure this thing out. By law she has to have these kids strapped in before she can drive!

We finally figured it out; meanwhile there was a long line of cars in every direction. I totally get their frustration.. waiting for a school bus is never fun, I get it! When a car started honking while we were still on the bus, I was annoyed but let it roll off my back. They might be late for work..they are mad.. still a jerky thing to do to honk at a school bus, but whatever.

But oh no, it didn't stop there. I will refrain from expletives since this is a family friendly blog, but one lady rolled down her window and started shouting out me "every #$%# morning, really?!".

Oh boy did that set me off. First of all, yes kind neighbor, EVERY morning my son will be going to school on the school bus, and every morning I will be going onto the bus to get him strapped into his seat to follow laws and more importantly his SAFETY. I do NOT go onto the bus every morning to read long stories to the kids or to chat with the bus driver. I go in, he is clicked in, and I immediately walk off the bus and wave to him from the sidewalk (until he gets too old and yells at me to stop that ;).

Secondly, this is the FIRST morning ever where it has taken longer than 1 minute to get him on the bus and strapped in. He is the only kid at this bus stop, it's not usually a long wait!

So next time you want to ASSume anything or be nasty to one of your fellow neighbors/mankind, stop and think that you might not know the whole story. She has no idea there is a 3 year old going on that bus, she has no idea the bus is full of special needs kids so some of them take longer than others to get situated, she has no idea what I actually do in the bus, yet she chose to make up her own mind and scream at me in front of half the community who were actually waiting patiently in their cars.

I unfortunately did not see which car she was in because she chose to yell at me while she was speeding off and there were tons of other cars around or I would have a) had my own few choice words to yell back and b) reported her immediately for road rage/harassment WHATEVER I could to the local police department. I know they have my back when it comes to the safety of school children.

Sorry for the long rant this morning, I just had to get that off of my chest! I was royally pissed off this morning when walking home from the bus stop. I've chilled out a little now, but oh boy did I want to go momma bear on this lady!

OshKosh B'gosh Spring Collection & Giveaway!

2012-02-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Moms of boys, I have good news for you, cute boy clothes are out yay! OshKosh B'gosh sent Jake a sample of their new Spring collection and I can honestly say I love every single piece! As a boy mom you'll know how hard it is to find decent clothing and I really feel OshKosh B'gosh nailed it on the head with their new Spring collection. You can check out all the styles here, but check out the cuteness that is Jake below :D

Never underestimate a good pair of jeans and a t-shirt! The two things I love the most about this line are the quality of the clothes and the adjustable waistbands on all the bottoms. My skinny little guy needed some major adjusting and I just love that these clothes will grow with him. The cotton tops are so soft, yet thick and durable, something boys need!

Ok how cute is this dinosaur polo?! We paired it with OshKosh's khaki shorts and plaid (as seen below) and Jake was so proud showing it off. I'm a sucker for the prepster look!

Rocking the plaid!

This robot t-shirt was another favorite of Jake's, he wouldn't stop talking about his robot all day! Paired with these cute plaid shorts and we had another winning outfit!

Spring means sun and warmth and OshKosh B'gosh's new swimsuit line does not dissapoint! How adorable is this beachwear?! With built in UPF I know he'll get the extra sun protection he needs in sunny Florida.

I am officially hooked and I'm so happy to be able to share the love with you! OshKosh B'gosh is going to give one of my lucky readers a $50 giftcard to spend on cute new clothing! Here is how to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sponsor Love - Organo gold

2012-02-05T08:52:00.000-05:00

Organo Gold is a company whose products are based on healthier coffee and tea primarily derived from a Chinese fungus called “Gano Derma”.

Organo Gold allows you to make money by sharing these healthy products with others and getting paid at the same time! Organo Gold is a great business opportunity for people who want to earn as much as they deserve. Check out Organo Gold for more Info.

Sponsor Love - Scentsy

2012-02-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

Scentsy is a safe and beautiful alternative to traditional candles. Unique Scentsy Warmers use a low-watt bulb to slowly melt specially formulated wax. With no flame, smoke, or soot, the Scentsy wickless candle system is a safe way to enjoy more than 80 Scentsy fragrances.

Scentsy Fragrances evoke special memories and have different meanings for everyone. That’s why their products can’t be explained—they have to be experienced. Also there is more than one way to share the Scentsy experience. Whether you want to throw a traditional party, host an open house, or invite your friends to do some online shopping, they have the perfect party style for you. And that’s why Scentsy parties are so much fun!

Additionally, Scentsy offers fundraisers, for many different organizations throughout the country. If you are an organization or an individual, interested in hosting a Scentsy fundraiser for a cause or organization of your choice, they can help you have a successful event.

Scentsy-We Make Perfect Scents!

Peggy "Patience" Tew, is a Philadelphia based Independent Scentsy Consultant. Mother of 3 beautiful children; Joseph, Mitchell and Benny. Full-time student, music lover, house keeper, taxi driver, Dr. mom, and everything in between.

For more information about Scentsy, to book a party, host a fundraiser, make an individual order visit http://ptew.scentsy.us

*In-home/open house parties are available with me in the Philadelphia metro are, other parties including fundraisers can be anywhere in the US.

Fitness Friday - Week 16

2012-02-03T08:40:00.000-05:00

I'm mrs extra extra this just in, she's too big now she's too thin.. sorry I've been listening to queen Britney all morning ;) She has a point though, you will never please everyone with your weight. People will always critique your plan or weight saying you are too big, too thin, or even just right when you feel none of the above. What's important is not what the scale, your friends, or even your significant other thinks. All that matters is what you think and how YOU feel. If you're happy, it will show and everything else will fall into place. Case in point, look down at my ticker.. see where it says I'm only six pounds away from my goal? When I look in the mirror I do not see a goal body in just six pounds.. of course six pounds at my weight and frame might make enough of a difference, but if it doesn't I'm going to keep going until I'm satisfied and that's all that matters. It's just a bonus if everyone else likes your body as well :P

Let's see how I did this week!

Starting Weight: 122.4 lbs

Current Weight: 121 lbs

Weight Loss This Week: -1.4 lbs

I'm going to do cartwheels when I make it back into the teens again! I'm so close, but at this excruciatingly slow pace, it feels so far. Many of my clothes still do not fit me, or are too tight. I miss having a full wardrobe. Instead I rotate between the same pieces over and over again. I dream of the day I can walk into my closet and wear whatever I want without having to ponder how I'll squeeze into or look in it!

On your own weightloss journey? Come link up so we can all cheer you on!