So...THIS happened a couple weeks ago...

I know, I know...I disappeared again.  There's only about 3 weeks left in the school year, so I'm hoping to be able to catch my Bloggy Buddies up on my ultra-exciting life (NOT!)  Maybe then I'll also be able to catch up on what's been going on with all of you. 

What did YOU do for Valentine's Day?

Ok, so Magnum turned 50 last Friday.  I know I've posted more than once about how his birthday is the day before Valentine's Day, and how I always used to make it a big, combined celebration back in the day.  Well, I managed to tie the two together again this year.  I surprised him the night of his birthday with concert tickets.  For a concert that was the next night.  Valentine's Day.  And, man, did I do good....

We went to see........

Ok, they actually look more like this now.....

 We freakin' saw Fleetwood Mac!!!

Man, oh man, did they put on an incredible show!!  I don't know if you are aware of this, but they are no longer spring chickens. (Mick 67, John 69, Christine 71, Lindsey 65, Stevie 66)  We were seriously impressed with the show they put on that night.  They played for 2 1/2 hours, with no intermission.  There was a point, about half-way through, where everyone but Lindsey Buckingham went backstage for a few minutes, and he did a solo, but it was less than 10 minutes.  We were amazed at their stamina.

Speaking of stamina, let me just say, Lindsey Buckingham is a freakin' MACHINE!  That man was up and down, back and forth, all over that stage.  He can still play that guitar like a rock star.  It was incredible.

Stevie's pipes aren't quite what they used to be, but she still sounded great.  She can't quite hit the top of her range anymore, so she adjusted a few notes here and there.  But, it took nothing away from the show.  And, let me tell you, she can still dance and move, and play The Diva.  (She actually did two costume changes, which for some reason, amused the hell out of Magnum.)

It was really just an awesome night.  We were cracking up, though, at the crowd.  They were all geezers like us!  Most of the men were gray and/or bald, and we lost count of the number of canes/walkers/wheelchairs we saw.  For real!  We thought it was so funny.  Although, I didn't think it was funny when none of them stood up during the show.  I was dying to get up and dance, like I've done at every single other concert I've ever been to.  But, I didn't want to stand in front of the people behind me unless they were standing, so I just kept my behind in my seat.  Although, we DID get up during the encores, and I got my boogie on.  There was a group one section over, and a few rows back, from us, who were up and dancing the whole time.  I kept telling Magnum that I wanted to move over where they where, but I didn't want to make the people in my row stand up and let me out!

While we were waiting to get into the venue, we noticed a sign hanging on the wall above the doors.  It was one of those "we are not responsible....." type postings.  But, in the wording, the old name for the venue (The Rosemont Horizon) was used.  (It is now called the Allstate Arena.)  That made me think about the very first time I was there.  (Actually I feel like I shared this story before...)  It was the very first concert I ever went to, and Magnum took me.  We went to see ZZ Top.  As we were talking about that night, it suddenly occurred to me that that was ALSO for Magnum's birthday.  His 21st, to be exact.  It was almost 29 years to the day.  (I actually looked it up, and that concert was on Feb. 27)  The part I think I shared before is how, after the concert, on our way out, I fell down a whole flight of stairs.  Magnum jokingly asked if I was planning to do that again that night and I said, "Jeez, I hope not, cuz this time I'd probably break a damn hip!"  He then made some kind of crack about how he'd just borrow a walker from somebody there for me.  Ah....the joys of aging....

I hope you all did something great for your Valentine's Day, too. =)

Tidbit Tuesday

I know I dropped the ball this weekend, and didn't post Saturday or Sunday.  (Hey, I said I was unofficially doing NaBloPoMo...)  But, I got busy and just didn't make it here. 

Saturday, the son of one of my besties got married.  The ceremony was at 12:30, and the reception was at 6, so it turned into kind of an all-day thing.  Everything about the day was beautiful.  We really had a nice time at the reception, too.

Then on Sunday, I threw a surprise party at the bar for Stud's 21st birthday.  He was truly surprised.  It was a fun night.

Have you ever known me to keep a post so short?!  There are basically zero details here, huh?  Very out of character for me, as you already know, I'm a total over-sharer (yes, that IS a word!)  But, I'm tired, and not feeling so great, so that's all you're getting, sorry.

Squeeeee!! I have an update!!

Actually, I have two updates, but I know you won't really care about this first one...

It's a stifling 32 degrees here today.  But, don't get excited for us, there's LOTS of snow coming in the next week.  Plus, the temps are going to drop over the next few days, back down to a low of -6 on Superbowl Sunday. 

Now.  On to the REAL update.

I ended up spending about 8 hours yesterday visiting Kensington schools.  I started at the school where they were going to have me work, meeting the director and the woman who will be out on maternity leave.  I was able to stay and observe for a while.  Actually, I stayed for 3 hours.  I wanted to see how things were run, how they handle lunch, and how nap time is done.  Once all the babies (15 of them!) were asleep, I left.  I called the woman who I originally interviewed with, and have been dealing with (she's the HR person for the company), and ended up driving out to the school she was directing yesterday.  I then basically poured my heart out to her regarding my thoughts on the job, now that I was able to see what it would entail. 

I don't know why I was surprised by the fact that it was more "daycare" and less "teaching."  I mean, they're TWO, for Pete's sake!!  Now, I didn't hate it by any means.  I actually thoroughly enjoyed it!  But, if I'm going to be completely honest, it seemed like an awful lot of work for the very small salary they are offering.  I mean, there are diapers to change, for crying out loud.  All day!  And, meals to serve, which then means LOTS of clean-up after that.  Then, think about what trying to put 15 toddlers down for a nap is like.  Go ahead, I'll wait....  Exactly!  It's hard enough for me to get Monkey to take a nap!!  Although, I have to say, the babies have the routine down, and surprised me by how well they handle nap time.  Still, I spent quite a bit of time sitting on the floor, rubbing babies' backs, until they fell asleep.  (Ok, you got me!  I LOVED IT!) 

So.  I called Ms. HR, and told her I was coming to see her to get some forms, and to talk.  I was completely honest with her, and we had a very frank discussion about my thoughts and expectations regarding working for this company.  She ended up talking to the other woman who interviewed me (the COO) and they came back and surprised the heck out of me.  Apparently, while I sat in Ms. HR's office alone for about 20 minutes, they were on the phone with the owner.  Ms. COO then told me that they are going back to the owner's plan, which is to have me start as a Director-in-Training.  She doesn't think having me "stuck" in a single classroom for the rest of the year will do me any good.  She absolutely wants me on a director track (Ms. HR's exact quote was, "B LOVES you!"), and wants me to learn as much about their school as I can, and the best way to do it, is to have me go to a different school and start right away as a DiT.  OMG! 

Now, there's still a little hitch in this plan, which is that they are still only going to be paying me the same salary they offered me to take the maternity leave.  Trust me, it's barely above the poverty level.  I will absolutely have to get a second part-time job to make ends meet.  I already spoke to my sister about the possibility of working on the weekends for her company.  That crazy "perfume ninja" job pays 50% MORE than I will be making at school.  Sad, right?

But, I'm choosing to focus on the positive!  I will only be doing this for a few months, as they plan to have their newest school open by the summer, and then I will be moving to that school as a director.  That's very exciting!!  And, there WILL be a pay increase, but I didn't even ask what it will be.  I know, I know, my family already yelled at me, so feel free to scream at your screen.  I'll just tune you out, like I did them.  I refuse to let you guys burst my bubble!! =)

Greetings from Syberia....

...oh, wait, I'm still in Chicago, aren't I?  When I left the house at 5:30 this morning to drive my parents to the airport, the windchill was a refreshing -30.  It's warmed up considerably since then, and the windchill is now -20. =)  (I think the actual temp is -1)

My mother just called about an hour ago to say they arrived safely, they had already had lunch, and a few cocktails, to boot!  Then she went on to say, "That IT!  We HAVE to get a place here!"  She was thrilled with the almost-80 degree temperature swing they experienced in less than 2 hours.

Ok, ok, I hear you yelling at me!!  Alright, already, I'll tell you a little about the job!

The short story is I was offered a full-time position with Kensington School.  I may come back later and write about the actual interview (it's a post all unto itself) but for now, I'll skip to the end of the story.  I will be covering a maternity leave in a preschool classroom until the end of the school year.  Yay!!  Those of you who have been around since the beginning KNOW how much I've wanted to make the move to preschool.  In the fall, I will be moving to their new school, in some type of director position (God willing!).  That's the plan for now, so I hope it doesn't change.  I don't have an official start date yet, but I'm hoping it's as soon as next week.  I have paperwork that needs to be filled out, and I need to get a physical and TB test.  Like I said, I hope to get it done this week.

I have to be honest, though, and say I'm already really sad about not being available at the drop of a hat for my Monkey.  I already miss her, and I haven't even started working yet. =(

(She was playing with Stud the other day at my parents' house, and this is how she came downstairs.  Stud got her to put the gloves on for the first time, and she LOVED them!)

23 years ago today...

 Yes, I know, you're sick to death of seeing this picture every year.  But, I've been far too lazy to actually dig up our photos and scan another one.  Plus, I only post it once a year, so get over it! :P

While looking for our wedding picture, I came across a picture from my sister's wedding that I must have posted at some point.  That was the thinnest I EVER have been in my life.

I still have that suit.  I actually had it altered immediately after the wedding.  I had the skirt shortened, thinking I would wear it as a suit!  HA!!!  Little did I know that just a few months later I'd be pregnant with Stud Muffin.  But, like I said, I still have it.  I'm bound and determined to be able to get it on again.

Oo, that reminds me, my SIL and I signed up to do The Biggest Loser 5K again this year.  We also plan to sign up for the 5K we did last year benefiting the Ronald McDonald House.  That's in June, the Biggest Loser run is in August.  We need to find one in July.  Oh, and did I mention we're going to do one at the end of May that is a half marathon?  No, that's not a typo.  HALF-FREAKIN-MARATHON.  What the hell are we thinking?!?!  But, more about all that later.

I hope you all had a great weekend.  I'll will be back this week, I hope, with a really great post.

Best birthday presents ever...

I got to spend the whole day with...

While we were in the yard playing, these arrived from Magnum...

Last night, Stud presented me with this, since I never read it...

45 still sucks, but these things made it a little easier.
If any of my dear Bloggy Buddies are dying to help me celebrate my birthday, you can go HERE.  And even if you don't give a rat's ass about my birthday, go anyway.  It's for a phenomenal cause.

Thank you to all my Bloggy Buddies who keep checking in with me, and sending love and support.  I'm not ready to jump back into the Blogosphere with both feet quite yet, but I think things may finally be on the upswing.  (JWG, what happened?  I'm waiting...)

Is it STILL February!?

Thursday, February 28, 2013
When do you feel your sexiest?

About an hour and 45 minutes into my 2 hour workout, when I have sweat pouring down my face, my clothes are stuck to my body cuz they're soaking wet, and my muscles are screaming for mercy.

Wow, this answer would have been TOTALLY different a few months ago.  I pretty much never feel sexy.  But lately, with all the changes going on with my body, the above really IS the best answer right now.

Confession time - Sometimes, I can't keep my hands off myself.  I find myself feeling myself up a lot lately! :P  It's amazing to feel muscles in places where there was nothing but blubber before.  Now, don't get me wrong, there's still a substantial layer of "fluff" covering these muscles, but I can feel them now.   I can feel bones now.  I forgot what that was like, it's been so long.  My rings spin 'round and 'round my fingers now.  Soon, I'll be afraid of them falling off.  (The last time I lost a substantial amount of weight, for my sister's wedding, my wedding rings used to fall off constantly!  I finally had to stop wearing them, and got a plain gold band to wear every day.)  My shoes are all too big, which is pretty hilarious!  And, don't get me started on my bras!  I have mine on the last (tightest) hooks, and the straps are as tight as they'll go.  Thankfully, I have a drawer full of really pretty Victoria's Secret bras from the last time I was thinner, although most are too "sexy" for every day, so usually I stick to my too-big collection.  It does make me giggle sometimes, though, to know that under my plain ol' every day shirt is a rockin' bra! 

Now, as great as this all sounds, there is a downside to this weight loss.  One I KNEW would be coming.  My face is always the first place I lose weight (along with my hands, feet and boobs).  And now, without all the padding, my face is looking old!  Every little line and wrinkle shows!!  People have always told me how young I look for my age, and how I haven't changed a bit over the years, blah, blah, blah.  Yeah, well, I always said it was because the fat in my face kept it looking smooth!  Now, not so much. =(  But, I guess that's the trade off, huh?  Hopefully, soon, people will be too busy checking out my booty to notice my wrinkles, right?  Haha!

One a different note, my mom, sister and I got a few things accomplished for my dad's party.  My sister and I decided on centerpieces, and my mother and I went and finalized the menu.  Woo hoo!!  Now, my sister and I have to put the centerpieces together, which shouldn't be too bad.  I also have to make the labels for the favors and put those together.

This is what will be served at the party:

Sausage and Peppers
Chicken Vesuvio
Baked Ham with Pineapple
Stuffed Peppers (stuffed with rice and ricotta cheese, with a white sauce)
Roasted Potatoes
Broccoli (sauteed in olive oil with garlic, covered in breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese)
Green Beans Almondine
Tossed Green Salad

There will be platters of bruschetta on each table for everyone to munch on until my dad arrives.  And, of course, there will be the killer sweet table I told you about the other day.  How does this menu sound to you?  Well, besides excessive.  We Italians ONLY know how to do excessive, sorry. ;-)

Well, the giant pot of 4-bean chili simmering on the stove smells too good to ignore any longer.  Guess I'll call Stud up for dinner!  Enjoy your evening!

My Funny Valentine

Ok, I know I already did my post for today, but I just had to share my Valentine's Day gift. 

I got a call bright and early this morning, asking if I would like to spend the day with a certain little Monkey.  Well, is the Pope Catholic?!

We had a delightful morning of play before she literally fell asleep in her highchair while eating a cracker!  Hahaha!!  She looked like this for the next THREE hours!

The poor baby still isn't feeling so hot.  She started yawning around 10am, and I thought I was going to get her to sleep then, but she got a second wind, and played for a while, before she fell asleep around 11.  While she slept, I was able to work out and then shower, so that was kinda nice.

Her mommy sent her with a pretty cute shirt today.

That monkey was part of her Valentine's Day gift from us.  I had bought her a sock monkey at Christmas time that she LOVED.  Sadly, we lost it at Sam's Club last week.  So, now she has a new "baby."

She was actually wearing a "pretty" today.  "Pretty" is her word for jewelry.  My mom bought this bracelet for her on their last cruise (about 2 weeks ago).  It has a little dolphin on it, which is perfect since she's currently obsessed with "fishies."

Her daddy actually came to pick her up today, instead of me taking her to her mommy.  We all played for a little while, and she watched Little Mermaid for the second time today.  She's really loving her beanbag, and dragged it into position when I asked her if she wanted to watch the movie.  I don't know why she looks so uncomfortable, but I swear she wasn't!

Look how cute she was when she was ready to leave!!  (Yes, I know the first one is completely blurry.)

I'm not sure where the new backpack came from, but I couldn't resist putting it on her, and making her carry her own "stuff."  I wish I had brought my phone outside with me when I walked them to the car.  She looked so freakin' adorable, walking down the driveway, holding her daddy's hand, carrying her stuff. :P

Here's what I ended up throwing together for dinner tonight.  I hadn't anticipated having Monkey all day, so dinner was really just an afterthought.

I made our usual salad.  We can, and do, eat it almost every single night.  Mixed greens, kalamata olives, tomatoes, and feta.

I put the cucumbers in a separate bowl tonight because I really can't eat them anymore.  For the past few years, they've been killing me, coming back on me for HOURS after I eat them.  It makes me really sad, because I LOVE cucumbers. :(

I dressed them with the same dressing as the salad - olive oil, red wine or balsamic vinegar (whatever I'm feeling that night) salt, fresh cracked black pepper and crushed garlic. I put it all in a small jelly jar, and shake the bejeezus out of it.

For my little Stud Muffin, I made spinach, sauteed in olive oil, with lots of thinly sliced garlic. 

That boy could eat spinach every night if I made it.  There's a restaurant nearby that he goes to with his friend specifically because there's a spinach dish on the buffet that he loves.

I did serve shrimp, like I said I was going to, but I did absolutely nothing to it.  Thankfully, it was fully cooked, so all I had to do was thaw it under running water for a while. 

We just dipped it in cocktail sauce.  We basically had giant shrimp cocktails for dinner!

We enjoyed some strawberries for dessert.  I snapped a picture of them to show you, because they were HUGE, but I realized after I put it here, that you can't tell how big they are.  I should have put something next to them to serve as a reference.  You can sort of tell, as that's a paper towel, not a napkin, that they're on here.  Well, trust me, they were about as big as my palm!  Man, I would have LOVED it if these had been dipped in chocolate. :(

 And, there you go.  Thanks for letting me bore you with our dinner!  I hope you all had/have a wonderful Valentine's Day, and that you spent it with the ones you love.

2/13/13

Wednesday, February 13, 2013
If you could send out valentines this year as you did back in grade school, what type of valentine would you send out to your blogosphere class?

 Ok, I'm taking the lazy way out of this one.

 These were just a few more that I liked.

Today is Magnum's birthday, but I got the gift.  I got to spend the afternoon with my Monkey!!

This is what she looked like when I got to my brother's.

 I love how her little butt is up in the air, and how her feet are crossed.  So damn cute!!

She's been a bit under the weather the past week or so, which is why I went to my brother's.  He didn't really want to take her out if he didn't have to.

After she woke up, she had lunch.  Naturally, lunch included a banana (duh!) and some of it ended up in her hair.  When she finished eating, I washed her up, and couldn't resist playing with her wet hair.  I thought I'd see how she looked with the same hairstyle as her favorite cousin.  I was laughing so hard, I almost couldn't take these pictures!

Pretty close, right?

 I know this video sucks, but I took it, so you're stuck watching it.  Or don't.  I'll never know!

When my brother got home, I left right away to get home to Magnum.  He actually got home earlier than I anticipated.  We went and picked up some soup for my mom, who's been sick this week, (it's her favorite beet soup from the Lithuanian restaurant down the street) then brought it to her.  Then we left to meet Stud for dinner.  We had a lovely dinner, and now I'm ready to hit the sack.  I'm pretty sure Magnum is already asleep. :(

22 years ago today...

...this happened.

It's been a hell of a ride since then.  I'm tightening my seat belt in anticipation of what our future holds.

(Maybe I should have told Magnum to buy me a new scale for our anniversary, cuz I think mine is broken.  I'm down another 2lbs this morning.  How is that even possible?  Maybe my body FINALLY realizes that I've been bustin' my ass at the gym for 2 hours a day for the past 5 weeks!)

I LOVE CAKE!!!!

This was the first of her three smash cakes this weekend. Yikes! This was from Friday, her actual birthday. After a fun-filled day at the zoo, Monkey got her first smash cake. It was the first cake of any kind she's ever had. She wasn't too sure what to make of it at first, but as you can see, she figured it out pretty quickly.

Her mother had a birthday bash for her today, so there was another smash cake involved there. I hope she had a good time at her party. Tomorrow with be OUR big bash. This kid is going to be so spoiled, isn't she? Two parties for every birthday?!

Speaking of two parties, that's exactly what our evening looked like tonight. We had a wedding (one of my bestie's sister's) and then a graduation party (Stud's bestie). Both were OUTSIDE. I look like Roseanne Roseannadanna right now. :(

I better hit the sack, we have a BIG day tomorrow! Monkey is ONE!!

Happy Birthday, Monkey!!

She's finally ONE!!!!

Suz is right, we really need to start taking some pictures of this kid. Maybe this year....

Ok, seriously, this is not even 1% of the pictures I have of her on my computer. Sheesh! You'd think she was MY baby!!

I can't wait to celebrate this weekend. Rest assured, I'll be sharing all about her birthday bash next week. And, speaking of Suz, today is also her baby's birthday! Go on over and wish Lolo a happy one.