Heather Ann Melzer

Hotel for Dogs

Last Friday's movie night was Hotel for Dogs - the kids would probably give it 3 stars and I'd give it 1.  They didn't get into it until the dogs showed up quite a ways into it and then it held their attention ok.  We had a hors devoures dinner (would have been better on a silver platter, but we work with what we have ;) and the treat was dippin' dots ice cream, that looked alot like dog food to me.  Wal-mart sells them in individual containers for $1 - perfect.  Kenzie thought it was really dog food, so mission accomplished ;)

Today is vacation-eve, so I'm checking final things off the to-do list.  I still need to pick up dry cleaning, get my toes done, make some last minute jewelry pieces for myself, try to find a book to read, and put the kids gifts together.  I love to leave them little gifts whenever I'm away.  This trip I have a few, since it's the longest we've ever been away from them.  I picked up some cute necklaces for the girls that I'll tuck into one of their outfits for the week, some animal bubble blowers, and I'm going to print these today - just need some shiny new crayons for them.

And with that I'm off to try to check-in to our flights (that have changed once again).  I'm sure it's been impossible to predict how many people would be traveling there with swine flu and all, but I'm still nervous about having 2 different air reservations outgoing tomorrow.  I guess 2 is better than none, though!

I'll try to check in with some pics while we're away.  Have a great long holiday weekend!

Cluck cluck

Getting ready to go on vacation is completely exhausting.  I feel like I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off for the last 2 weeks.  Everyday I'm running to this store or that store trying to find pieces to complete outfits for Tom and I.  We live in sweats, jeans, or work clothes - going out adult clothes are not something that we own.  So, we've had to buy almost everything new for the trip, which is fun, but also exhausting. 

One thing we did cross off the list last weekend were webcams and Skype setup.  We picked up 2 $25 webcams from Wal-mart and had Skype up and running in about a half an hour.   Then we played around with the kids and taught Kenzie how to answer incoming calls, so I think we're all set there.  I can't believe how easy it was.  I just hope it works as well when were 1000's of miles away.  Kenzie was so funny - "This is so cool - we'll get to see where you are!" 

I've also been cleaning out closets, purging clothes that don't fit the kids anymore, and planning all of their outfits for when we're gone.  I think I have 15 loads of laundry to fold tonight while watching Idol.  I would have been a slam dunk on Adam if I hadn't heard Kris' Heartless rendition...

I was really sad to see Danny go, but I think the best two singers are left.

Speaking of must-see TV, I read yesterday that clips from New Moon will be shown during the MTV Movie Awards on May 31st.  The dynamic trio (Edward, Bella, and Jacob) will also be presenting them.  Putting that on my calendar for sure.

I think I've missed posting about a movie night or two, so I'll get to that tomorrow.  Hotel for Dogs was last weekend, and there might be one other - hmmm.  My brain is just so fried.  I can't get to the beach soon enough!

Caught up

Whew!  I really thought I'd blown it this time.  It's getting longer and longer in between uploading my photo-a-days and I'm terrified that I'll pop in my memory card after a few weeks and only have 4 pics on it.  Thankfully, I'm still managing to take at least one pic a day, so I'm still rolling.  It's wild to think that in just a couple of weeks I'll be halfway there.  Is time really going by that fast??!

Once again you guys have rocked my world with your overwhelming intel.  I'm going to get Skype loaded on my laptop and home PC and try to get that going this weekend.  We have internet access in our hotel room (not wireless and not very fast from what I hear), but being able to see the kids at all would be really neat.  As excited as I am to have 6 kid-free days to relax, I know I'm going to miss them terribly.  Being away from them for 2 days this week was not easy.

I went to Michael's yesterday and picked up the supplies to make Rice Krispie Treat baseball lollipops for tomorrow's game, but it's been raining for 3 days straight here, so I'm thinking the field is going to be soaked.  Of course, they probably won't cancel it until game time, so I'll probably end up making them for nothing.  Or I could look at it as an opportunity to do a trial run.  I bought a cookie lollipop pan at M's that I'm hoping is going to make it super easy, although I can only make 6 at a time.  I'm going to add stitches to them with red frosting and maybe dip them in white chocolate first - can't decide.  Decorative frosting is not my friend, but I'm going to give it a go regardless.  I'll share my results next week for sure.

Kenzie's really enjoying her games so far.  She's taking it seriously, which is good to see, although she's still having alot of fun.  We had her kindergarten conference today and she's doing great.  Her teacher said she's really matured since turning 6 and I couldn't agree more.  Her focus is better and she's calmed down considerably.  She's still super energetic, social, and very excitable, but that's what makes her her.  She's an emotional and spirited kid who soaks up every minute.  I've always loved that most about her...

Wednesday already?

Did everyone have a nice Mother's Day?  My brother-in-law was kind enough to snap this pic of us before we all met up for brunch on Sunday.  The girls were DARLING in their little maxi dresses - so glad I snagged those when they went on sale.  I got the cutest pic of them that I'm going to try to scrap soon - it's so sweet.  I felt a little day-glo in my ruffled number, but it was Mother's Day and I'm a mother so I went with it - lol.

The girls made me some darling purse-like photo cards and shaped soaps and Jack gave me a baby spider plant (that I'm desperately trying to keep alive).  I love things green and flowery, but I'm not so good about remembering to water them.  Then Kenzie came running into my office Sunday morning with a wrapped box (that looked an awful lot like a box of chocolate), and I almost lost my mind when she said, "This is for you, can I have a few?"  I told Tom that letting me buy a few new things for our trip was gift enough and that I absolutely did not want ANY chocolate of any kind (his go-to gift of choice for me, which I'm normally ecstatic about).  So, I left it wrapped on my desk until he came down and told me to open it because it was all "natural".  ooo k.  Turns out it was season 3 of Supernatural for us to watch on the plane and during our trip - YES!  We finished season 2 last week, so the timing is perfect.  I'm trying not to open it before then - not easy!

I left for D.C. on Monday morning super early (like 4am early) and came home yesterday afternoon.  It was an interesting trip, but I'm so happy to be home (and out of those heels).  I planned on wearing comfortable shoes but my new dress pants were so long that I had to wear my heels pretty much all week.  I'm loving my crocs more than ever today (and so are the blisters on my feet).

It's a crazy busy week between t-ball games, snack assignment, and getting ready for our trip.  My bed is covered in outfits today so I can figure out what else I might need to pick up.  I'm just about set on dinner outfits and just need some new sandals, and a couple of daytime outfits.  Then I need to get some treats for movie night tomorrow, make treats for the t-ball game on Saturday, pick up a gift for a family party and find some Sesame Street related things for them to wear (not easy for non-toddlers - hmmm).  We're also looking into how we're going to call home during the trip.  Looks like our cell phones would run us about $1/minute, so were looking into Skype.  Anyone ever tried it from Mexico/outside the US over a PC or iPhone?  It would be really nice to be able to see the kids and vice versa, so I'd love any suggestions you might have.

Fly by

I love Friday's - who's with me??!  I'm finally getting things crossed off my list and the weekend is staring me right in the face - ahhhh.

One of my to-do's was to add my newest bracelet to my shop - it's called All A Flutter.  Isn't she fun?!  Butterfly motifs are so hot right now and with summer right upon us, this is the perfect little accessory.  I used some really fun butterfly collage images in a nice mix of colors so it will go great with everything. 

It certainly has been a crazy week.  We're still working 24/7 on this acquisition and I'm flying out to D.C. next week to help run the orientation sessions for our new employees.  They've been great to work with, so that's been a big plus.  I've also been working like crazy on photo jewelry orders, which I love doing.  Today I'm finishing up a giant wedding party order with double necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.  The bridesmaids dresses she chose are so beautiful - a gorgeous deep pink.  What I wouldn't give to do my wedding over and pick a different color scheme.  Ah, I digress.

Another GREAT thing happened this week.  After dropping our vacation flights all together, Travelocity was able to book us on outgoing and return direct flights to Cancun.  Yes!  It sounds like alot of the hotels are pretty vacant right now and some are even closing attractions/restaurants and have been forced to lay off workers.  We may not have all of the options available to us at the resort, but I'm still out-of-my mind excited about going.  If Tom and I are able to go to the grocery store alone it feels like a date, being in a hotel with only 4 restaurant options instead of 8 will be completely transparent to me, I think.

On my way to get coffee this morning I heard my new favorite song twice, and I'm sure anyone that saw me in my car thought I was a crazed lunatic.  I can dance and drive at the same time.  I can also type and dance at the same time - I dare you try not to!

And with that, I'll dance my way on out of here!  Have a wonderful Mother's Day :)

App obsessed

I strongly believe that the iPhone is one of the greatest little inventions of our time.  When my $30 cell phone died after just 6 months of use a couple of years ago, I had to make a decision - pay $100's of dollars for another cheap phone or get an iPhone.  It was right around the time when they stopped making the lower gig cheap ones, so I was able to get one at a much more reasonable price, and although the monthly charges kills me, it really is the coolest little piece of technology on the planet.  I've never had a PDA of any sort, so the general email and phone all in one thing was amazing in itself, but throw in instant weather, GPS directions, and apps and you've got total information/entertainment.  I've been meaning to add some fun apps to my phone for forever now and finally got around to doing that last weekend (while I was looking for something to entertain Kenzie at 5:30am).

I've added a few games for the kids since then and a few little gems for me.  First, the kids favorites...

Animatch is by far their favorite game (and mine, too).  The graphics are out of this world cute and when you click on the box and the animal appears, it makes the appropriate animal sound.  Adorable!  All 3 of my kids love this game.

Classic Tic Tac Toe - My girls have been crazy in to Tic Tac Toe for the past 6 months or so, so they love this one.  You can either play the computer/phone or you can play someone else.  Simple graphics - great one for 99 cents.

Scoops - This one is Kenzie's favorite.  You tilt the phone to catch ice cream scoops on a cone (gee, I wonder why it's her favorite), while trying to avoid tomatoes and onions.  She loves to try to catch only the rainbow ones :)

Eat Bunny Eat - Along the same lines as Scoops, but the bunny eats carrots while avoiding falling cans.

TT Quizzing - I bought this one for Jack and he really enjoys it.  Kind of like flash cards - without the mess!  His favorite part is picking out his sticker at the end.

Some I've added for myself this week include:

iFitness - Of course, the day after I canceled my Jillian Michaels membership (due to non-use), I started working out again (go figure!).  This app is a great replacement because it gives photos and explanations for tons of different exercises.  My favorite part is that you can click on different muscles and it shows you what exercises to do to work them out - neat-O!

Around Me - This will really come in handy when out of town.  It uses the phone's GPS to locate your current location and then it will quickly show you nearby coffee shops, gas stations, restaurants, hotels, etc.  So cool.

Pandora is an internet radio station that they create for you based on a favorite artist, song, etc.  I typed in Justin Timberlake and got a ton of my favorite songs - streaming FREE on my phone.  Awesome.

I'd love to hear your recommendations for other cool apps - I'm sure I'm missing tons that I MUST have :)

Go Bulldogs!

 

It's so neat that Kenzie and Devin are in the same grade and are able to be on the same t-ball team.  It makes it so much easier for all of their fans, too :)  My sister bought Devin's baseball pants at Dick's for $9 and found matching socks, too, so I just followed her lead and did some very quick shopping the night before their pictures.  My kind of shopping!  They looked so cute in their matching gear.  We decided to get her spikes, too, since she'll be playing on an actual field and would probably fall and break her neck in her sneakers.

Speaking of shoes, I've been croc hunting (haha) for the past few weeks since the girls pushed their feet right through the front of theirs last year.  They wore them ALL summer long, though, so I think they held up very well, considering.  You can find great deals on their mary janes right now and I finally found a place that had fuschia ones in their size.  We're ready for summer now!

I also managed to find the last of these dresses near me and was able to put it on hold so Tom can pick it up for me tonight.  A Mother's Day and trip dress (hopefully) all in one - I just hope it fits.  I'm on week 2 of my diet/exercise plan and it's going so well.  I see a noticeable difference in my waistline and my jeans are fitting much better.  I'm telling you, trying on a bathing suit every couple of days is a serious motivator :P.  I'm eating much smaller portions, trying to have Lean Cuisines for dinner when I can, no sweets (except a 100 calorie hostess pack a day), and NOT eating after dinner.  I'm known to chow on an entire bag of Baked Lays while watching TV - that could be the difference in and of itself.  Also, no margaritas.  I read that they have more calories than you can possibly imagine.  So, I have one glass of wine (when necessary) - lol.

Things are looking up on the trip front, so that's been motivating as well.  I hope we hear less and less of the flu in the coming weeks and that is doesn't mutate or do anything crazy.  It certainly is scary stuff.  I still planned to change our outgoing flight, which connects in Mexico City, but I was planning to wait until we got closer to our departure date.  Then I got an email from Travelocity saying that the flight changed and that I needed to call immediately to fix it.  They told me they didn't have any nonstops to Cancun left and when I found 3 on their site (that were cheaper than the 1 stops) they told me that I couldn't get a nonstop since I paid for a 1 stop.  Does that seem right?  Tom thinks they're trying to get me to change my flight so I can't request a change later without some crazy penalty.  I have no idea what to do.  An agent is calling me back in the next day.  Advice?  Anyone have experience with this sort of thing?

Captured

I don't think I could have survived without knowing that I'd caught those chubby little hands of his in a photo.  Or those big brown eyes and that serious look of his.  He's just total sweetness - wish I could bottle him up :(  I can't believe that he'll be 2 next month, although he's wearing 3T clothes and already growing out of the waistbands on those.  He's a solid little kid - so funny, too.  I walked into his room on Saturday morning and caught him mid-somersault in his crib.  He jumped up and started laughing hysterically - like he was secretly practicing and knew he got caught.  He proceeded to somersault back and forth in his crib while I got his clothes out - lol.

Tom was on his fishing trip this weekend, so I didn't get to celebrate NSD :(.  My parents and I did have fun taking the kids from one fun place to the next, though.  Lunch, park, choo choo ice cream shop, the patio at Starbucks, t-ball in the backyard.  I even got to escape with my mom to the outlet mall, although I didn't buy anything.  Still not sure what's going on with our trip and I hate to buy clothes for it if we don't end up going.  It sounds like the flu might be on the decline in Mexico, so I'm hopeful that it continues to look up and that all will be well in a few weeks so we can go. 

Right now we're gearing up for Kenzie and Devin's first t-ball game, which is this Friday night.  She had her team pictures on Saturday and I took some pics of the two of them together, which I'll share tomorrow.  This first game should be very interesting.  Some of the boys on Kenzie's team are amazing players already, and then there's Kenzie - blowing kisses to her adoring fans from the field while getting hit with the ball - lol.  Grandpa and I worked with her yesterday and she was hitting and catching much better, she just needs to work on her focus.  Katie is also quite the hitter - she'll definitely be ready to play next year.

Tom took the day off because he's beat, so I'm just waiting for my Starbucks to arrive so I can crank some work out.  I have tons of new jewelry pieces in the works and digital kits that I can't wait to get started on, too, as soon as work comes down to a more manageable level. 

Have a happy Monday!