Saturday, January 31, 2009

Tomorrow starts the party

It's time to celebrate hitting 2 years of blogging and having enough to say for 500 posts. The party starts tomorrow and you get the chance to win door prizes.

The "OK, give him crackers!" giveaway is beginning.

I will be hosting one giveaway each day from February 1st until February 7th. Each giveaway will run for one week.

You can enter once by leaving a comment according to the instructions in each post (typically naming which item you would like, etc.). You can also earn an extra entry for each giveaway by posting on your blog about the giveaways. However, you do not need to be a blogger to enter the contest, just make sure you put your email address in the post so I can contact you if you win.

If you have questions about the giveaway please let me know.

Friday, January 30, 2009

The view of a three year old

When I was uploading the ice storm pictures on Wednesday I found several pictures I did not recognize.

I quickly realized the three year old had snatched the camera at some point and snapped several photos.

First, his shirt. That's the Incredible Hulk if you don't have a three year old boy who is addicted to super heroes.


Then a picture of his mouth.


Half of his face.


The Reader's Digest. I know, random.


Finally, a picture of most of his face.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Ice Storm 09, Stuck again

I can't believe it. For the second day in a row our cars won't move.

We don't have a garage or any shelter for our cars and we park on a slight incline. With the layer of ice under our cars and behind our cars we aren't able to move them. I'm going to spend some time later today trying to shovel the snow and ice in front of them to try to get them to move.

Hoss is very upset about being stuck in the house for the third day in a row. He was very excited about getting to leave this morning and then was let down when we couldn't get the cars moving.

I told him we will go outside later today and walk around the neighborhood and play in the snow. However, neither of us have snow boots. Something I have decided I have to get before the next winter season.

I always made fun of my mom when I was a kid for carrying her snow boots in the car during the winter months. Now, I wish I had listened to her advice. I'm sure her feet are warm right now.

I have also decided I need to invest in a hat of some type before next year. And maybe even ear muffs. I'll also be sure to look for a scarf. I am totally not prepared for winter at all. I do have gloves though!

The weather forecast looks like we won't be warm enough to thaw until Saturday or Sunday. Then another winter storm is coming Monday and Tuesday.

I am done with this. Seriously. Done.

CHOCOLATE!

Well, he definitely got his mother's sweet tooth.

And his daddy's table manners. :)

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Ice Storm 09 in video

I have three videos. I haven't yet figured out how to put them all together into one clip. That just gives me yet another project to work on.

The commentary is not the best, nor is the camera work. I'm not a professional by any means.


Ice Storm 09, video 1 from Jessica Frye on Vimeo.


Ice Storm 09, video 2 from Jessica Frye on Vimeo.


Ice Storm 09, video 3 from Jessica Frye on Vimeo.

Aren't you jealous of our ice storm? :)

Ice Storm 09 in pictures

Here are a few pictures of the ice damage and down trees that I can see from our front or back porches.

First up, is the tree that was uprooted across from our front door. Luckily, there was nothing in it's path.


Here is the proof I wasn't fibbing and the tree really was uprooted...you know, from the roots!


Here is a view of the sagging trees and our street. No snow plows will make it down this way. We are iced in.


And of course, the backyard, where we watched limbs fall this morning. How exciting!


And the sagging trees in the backyard.


I need to go make Hoss some lunch. I will hopefully be back after that to share some video of the fun.

Ice Storm 09

So how do you prepare for an ice storm?

Well, since I lived through the horrible 2003 ice storm when I was single, living alone in a small one bedroom apartment that did not have power for 7 days, I knew we needed to be prepared.

Thankfully we don't have a fish in a small bowl like I did in '03. That poor fish FROZE to death. May it rest in peace.

But preparing for ice is a bit different this time. I have a husband and child, so we have more needed items.

So, what did I do to prepare?

Well, Monday I stopped at Kroger after work. And I forgot to get more firewood and fire starters for our fireplace. Genius!

So, Tuesday I ventured to Kroger AGAIN after work. Tuesday we had already had round one of the ice, so the parking lot was horribly slushy and flooded from the semi-melting and well-driven areas. Naturally, every other person who forgot their milk or bread was there. I stepped in the largest puddle walking into the store so my feet were cold and wet. I ran around getting the few items I needed and quickly left. Once again stepping in a huge puddle and trying to slide my way to the car without falling.

I get home and decide that I should do all the laundry I can in case we lost power. I figured if we are going to be without power we can at least have clean clothing. So all night I did laundry, to the tune of 7 loads.

I also washed the dirty dishes.

Then I decide to turn the heat up a little in the house. I figured if it was warmer in the house and the power went out it would take a little longer before it got too cold inside.

I watched hours and hours of weather forecasts. To be mentally prepared for what was coming.

My husband and I discussed the fact that we think we have underground power lines. We even stepped out on the front and back porch at 10p.m. to look for power lines. We saw none, so we assumed our power is underground. Which, hopefully, would mean we would keep our power.

I called my parents who live west of me to see what kind of weather they had to know what we could expect here.

Of course I found the flashlights and candles and sat them out in areas I could find them if the power went out.

Then I sat down, read some blogs and went to sleep.

I awoke to a cold rain at 5:45a.m. In a warm, power filled home. But to a car which would only spin tires and could not get out of the drive.

Stay tuned for pictures of the trees down in my ice covered neighborhood.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Perty by Thirty -- Week 3

This week I lost another 2.8 pounds, making the total weight loss 13.8 in three weeks.

I am hoping to add exercise into my activities this week, but the trick is figuring out when to fit this in to my schedule. I'm pretty sure I can't get up earlier. I am not a morning report and 5:30a.m. comes very early for me.

I learned last week that Hoss is entertained by my attempts to exercise. I found some short 1-2 minute clips of exercise videos on our television's "on demand" (or "on command" as my nephew calls it) service. I tried a couple which were absolutely ridiculously difficult. Hoss also tried some with me. He was cracking me up, but he loved watching the videos and trying to do what they were doing.

He may have been better at it than me.

The old Richard Simmons video is going to have to be dug out of the back of the cabinet this week. I'm sure Hoss would greatly enjoy that one.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

500!

Wow!

This is my 500th post!

I can't believe I have that much to say.

I've been blogging since January 2007, which is hard to believe as well. I totally missed my bloggy anniversary this year.

I want to celebrate this milestone so I am going to be having a 7 day giveaway starting February 1st.

I will be posting one giveaway each day starting February 1st and ending February 7th.

I am supplying two of the giveaways and I have solicited help from some very talented blog (and some real life) friends.

Stay tuned for more information on the giveaway! And if you can't wait until February 1st, be sure the visit Bloggy Giveaways next week when the quarterly giveaway carnival will be held.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Perty By Thirty Week Two

Well, I just got back from my Weight Watchers meeting and my second weigh-in.

I was SHOCKED with my results.

I lost....are you ready for it????

7 POUNDS!

That brings my total weight loss in just two weeks to 11 pounds. I am on the way to my goal of 150 pounds lost.

Only 139 pounds to go!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

I'm bored

I should be folding the towels that are in the dryer.

Or loading the dishwasher.

Or cleaning the kitchen.

Or picking up the toys in the living room.

Or straigthening up the master bedroom which is now known as the dump site.

But instead I'm sitting here on the computer. Bored.

And, I have no intention on doing the above mentioned items.

At least not until tomorrow.

That's what I'm telling myself anyway!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Fabulous photo contest

My real life friend, Becca, is having a giveaway at her blog.

Becca is an amazing photographer and she is giving away a 5x7 print of one of these pictures. She just won Best in Show in a contest. She's definitely no amateur.

My favorite picture is this one titled "Fruit of the Spirit."


I also love this picture. A classic picture of my childhood summers.


So go check out the contest at her blog and guess which of her pictures won Best in Show!

A little dieting advice

Just a quick bit of unsolicited, but wise (trust me!) advice in the world of dieting.

If you are going to make a conscious effort to increase your daily fiber intake AND take a multi-vitamin, do so gradually.

Your stomach will thank you.

I promise.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

You know you're the mother of a boy when...number 47

You know you're the mother of a boy when you reach in your purse to find some chapstick and a plastic sword stabs your hand.

You look in your purse to find the culprit of the pain and notice the sword, but that's not all. A helmet to an action figure is also shoved under a dirty tissue and crumpled up paper.

And that my friends is how you know you are the mother of a boy.

Next week, how you know it's time to clean out your purse.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Perty by Thirty weigh-in

I weighed in tonight and in week one of being Perty by Thirty, I lost 4 POUNDS!

Now I only need to lose 146 more pounds!

Perty by Thirty

I have a resolution that is not only for 2009, but for my lifetime.

I'm making this very public so I can have accountability, something I need, but hate.

I have decided that over the next 18 months I want to lose 150 pounds. I know, it's a huge number, but a number I'm confident I can meet.

I want to reach my goal by my 30th birthday on July 9, 2010.

I posted more info over here about my plans.

If you are also wanting to lose weight, join in with me! We can do it!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

I am completely APPALLED!

UPDATE: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html CPSC clarifies this is not intended to affect consignment, thrift store, and resalers.

Our government, in an attempt to keep our children safe, are jeopardizing our economy.

A law has passed, which states beginning February 10th any children's item including toys, clothing, diapers, etc. must first be tested for lead before it can be sold. This means that consignment and thrift stores will have to test each item. The cost per item is upwards of $75 PER ITEM! These stores will have to close. We will no longer have an outlet for our used baby items. These will have to be trashed in our over flowing landfills.

Not only this, but all our friends who are making hair bows, doll clothing, toys, etc. will have to stop unless they can afford to have their items being used tested for lead.

I want my child to be safe. I want him to be free from lead exposure. I don't want to compromise his health. However, it seems no Congressman or woman spoke with mothers about this law.

This law will only hurt my family.

View this story, http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?pageId=85542 or this one, http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247 for more information.

If you feel as strongly as I do, please contact your Congressman about this law. https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Here is the letter I sent to my Congressman.

"My name is Jessica Frye, I am a mother of one child, a son who is three years old. My husband and I both work full-time and continue to struggle to meet the needs for our family with our co-joined income. I often work overtime to ensure we are able to pay our monthly bills. After trying to conceive a second child for the past 18 months without success we have come to the conclusion that we can not afford additional medical intervention and we are no longer pursuing conception as vigirously. Something which breaks my heart deeply.

In an attempt to pay off debt this year I had planned to pull out the 10 plastic totes I have saved of my son's clothing and toys in case we needed these for a second child. I had plans to sell these items. I was devastated to learn that beginning February 10th I will not be able to sell these items with the passing of HR 4040.

As a mother, I understand the concerns for the safety of our children regarding lead. I, as well as all mothers, don't want our children to be exposed to lead; however, the restrospective aspect of this bill is alarming.

Unless I pay upwards of $75 PER ITEM for testing I will not be able to sell the hundreds of items I have sitting in my son's closet. I will not be able to supplement my income and pay off debt. I will not even be able to donate these clothing items to someone who can use them. If I do any of these things I will be breaking the law. The only thing I will be able to do is throw these items in the trash. With our economy and environment in the shape they are in, I find this absolutely appalling.

Since we struggle to make ends meet, I have been shopping consignment sales and stores since my son's birth. I have found these to be increasingly helpful in keeping our family's budget from breaking. I am certain that retailers will be passing the expensive cost to test their clothing and toys to consumers. Then, a middle class family will not be able to affordably clothe their own child.

And what about my friends who have begun part-time businesses to make items for children such as clothing, cloth diapers, hair bows, and toys. These are stay at home mothers who have found a way to supplement their income. This bill will only prevent them from being able to continue to bring income into their family.

Please support adapting this law to eliminate any clothing and toys made or purchased prior to February 10, 2009. I would be willing to sign a release at consignment and thrift stores which explain the items may not have been tested for lead. Signs and literature regarding this could also be provided to all customers from the stores. Implementing this law as it stands today would only bankrupt businesses, families and children. Something I hope you do not support.

Thank you for your time and your consideration on this matter,
Jessica Frye"

Monday, January 5, 2009

A perfectionist or a procrastinator?

Well, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

I am sorry I haven't posted much lately. I have had plenty to post about, but haven't been able to find the time to clear my head in order to write it.

As usual, I have taken on too many projects and responsibilities all at once and it appears that only more are going to be coming.

I was just visiting Myspace for a few minutes and I noticed someone's bulletin heading said "I'm so bored."

Oh, I only WISH I was bored.

My to do list looks something like this:

* Do a load of jeans
* Do a load of towels
* Finish sorting my coupons
* Finish making my 2 week dinner menu
* Clean Hoss' room
* Sort Hoss' toys and "sneak" them out of his room so he doesn't see what we are going to get rid of
* Find a place to hide the toys we are getting rid of so Hoss doesn't sneak them back into his bedroom
* Sort Hoss' clothes for spring/summer for consignment
* Clean old car seats and high chair
* Take pictures of car seats and high chair and any other items to sell on craigslist
* Post items on craigslist
* Balance my checkbook (this one I'm sure I'll put off for a long time)
* Pay bills online
* Work a full time job, plus overtime (so I can pay the aforementioned bills)
* Make photobook for Hoss (with my free shutterfly code expiring soon)
* Make calendar for 2009 before January is over (another free shutterfly code!)
* Figure out how to add about four more hours in each day
* Come up with ideas for BG Moms blog posts, my creativity is lacking
* Watch the TV shows racking up on DVR
* Prepare Sunday school lesson for coming week
* Clean my bedroom which will begin with cleaning out the closets (both of them), getting rid of un-needed items, filing paperwork, change the sheets, actually make the bed, etc, etc.
* Play the Wii (ok, so maybe this isn't a priority, but my procrastination technique)
* SLEEP! (I HAVE to add it to my to-do list or else it doesn't happen)

Another friend's Myspace page had the quote, "I'm a perfectionist trapped inside a procrastinator's body."

I may not totally be a perfectionist, but I thrive to be. However, procrastination always takes over.

I will hopefully be around more often now that the holidays are over and our schedule is back to normal.