Always Italianissima

Got Water?

2011-11-08T14:22:00.000-05:00

Hello my friends! It's that time of year again. The African Well Fund 7th Annual Got Water? Auction is underway. We have over 40 items that have been collected and donated to us this year. A lot of U2 stuff but some other good stuff also such as:

an autographed copy of the Playbill for How to Succeed in Business - yes HP fans Dan Rad did touch and sign this with his magical hands. As did John Larroquette - for all you Night Court/The Practice/Boston Legal fans (insert my picture here).
An autographed copy of the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook - I dare you not to love this book. You become more fabulous just looking at it. And if you have not read The Bucolic Plague by Josh Kilmer- Purcell (one of the Beekman Boys) I suggest you run out and get it now. It is such a great read. Laugh out loud funny and inspirational. Trust me.
An autographed copy of Happy Accidents by Jane Lynch and Lisa Dickey. Sue Silvester will come to your house and beat you if you do not bid on this book. I swear she told me herself during recess.
An autographed copy of Bossypants by Tina Fey. Perfect for the 30 Rock fan on your Christmas list.

For a list of all the other items we have up for auction click here.

Remember 100% of the proceeds from these auctions go to fund clean water and sanitation projects in Africa. Some of these items will make the perfect stocking stuffers AND they help out people who are less fortunate than us. It is a win win in my book.

Thanks again to everyone who has supported us in the past...and a THANK YOU in advance to those who will support us in the future. We are literally nothing without our supporters. Happy Bidding!

School Daze

2011-08-30T21:47:00.000-04:00

It is back to school season and I have to say that I LOVE this time of year!!! We have an in-service tomorrow and next week we are back in our classrooms making them ready for a fresh new group of little ones.

I am excited about so many things this year. Two fantastic new grade partners. A new principal. Maybe some lunch bunch shifts. And of course the best part - a new group of students - cuddly and adorable and ready to have fun!

I have always been that student who looks forward to the start of school. Being a teacher is no different. I am excited to see the wonderful women I work with again on a regular basis. I cannot wait to re-arrange and decorate my classroom based on what worked and did not work last year. Did I mention school supplies? Possibly the best things ever invented!!! Construction paper! Glue! Crayons! Pencils! Yay!!!

I have always felt that September was a time for new beginnings, more so than January. And so I go into this September with high spirits and the joy of knowing what good things I have to look forward too. May all of you feel this joy also as the school starts and the seasons change.

I'm leaving on a jet plane

2011-08-18T20:30:00.000-04:00

Off to the AWF Board Meeting in Los Angeles. I CANNOT wait to fly there. By MYSELF. In FIRST CLASS. My Kindle is giddy with anticipation of the intimate time we will spend together WITHOUT interruptions. Or having to be read in the bathroom with the door locked.
I am also hoping to make it out the the fantastically decked out Restoration Hardware in Beverly Hills. I know, I know...I go all the way to LA and all I want to see is the same store I work in...but the people who have been there say it is magical. And they serve tea. How can anyone resist?

Have a great weekend everyone!!

You can dream, so dream out loud...

2011-07-05T22:45:00.001-04:00

Those of you that know me well know of my involvement in the African Well Fund. I have been on the board for almost 6 years now (where did the time go!) and each year is more inspiring than the next.

We are very close to reaching our "1 million dollars raised since inception" milestone. In fact we will probably reach it by the end of this year. This is pretty amazing in itself, but when you stop to consider we are 100% volunteer run it makes this milestone even more extraordinary.

The AWF was born because a group of U2 fans, inspired by Bono's work in Africa, decided that it was time to be the change they wanted to see in the world. Every year we honor Bono by holding a fundraiser for his birthday, which is May 10. Every year people who donate to the fundraiser can sign Bono's birthday card on our website and every year Lara (a very talented board member) creates a fabulously cool card which then gets mailed to Bono. We know he gets the card because he has let us know in the past that it is his favorite birthday present (see this post).

This year we were able to present the card to him him person before the show in Nashville. Five AWF board members were on hand to personally thank him for being our inspiration and Lara was able to hand Bono this year's card herself - for pictures and her account of the meeting click here.

This year proceeds from the Build a Well For Bono's Birthday fundraiser went to clean water and sanitation projects that will be implemented by AWF partner Africare at four girls' schools in Benin that are supported by Angelique Kidjo's Batonga Foundation.

We are really close to fully funding this project so I am asking you to make a small donation to get us there. It is as easy as clicking here and then clicking on the Donate Benin button on our homepage.

Now is a good time of year to think about the value of clean drinking water. It is hot out and we are consuming more water than ever - without it our bodies will not function - and we are so fortunate to live in countries where access to clean water is a given. Take a moment to help change the lives of some very deserving young women in Benin by making a donation.

And then go pour yourself a nice clean glass of water and drink it knowing that today, with the click of your mouse, you have given someone a great gift. A great man once said, "Every generation has a chance to change the world." Now is your chance.

Hello World

2011-06-28T22:48:00.000-04:00

It is amazing to me how the simplest of things can be so extraordinary. I took this video of Spy playing in the fountain at my mom's house. I could have watched him "watering" the flowers for hours. How such a simple activity could keep him entertained for so long is a mystery. The joy I gained from watching him do such an ordinary task was also kind of shocking. Yet when I watch my sweet boy I am not surprised that such a simple, monotonous action could bring such hapiness to my heart.

Allow yourself to see beauty in even the most mundane of things...and your heart will be filled with joy. I promise.

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

2011-06-03T23:59:00.000-04:00

My mom, Spy and I spent 4 hours in the emergency room today. Mom picked Spy up from school and she noticed he wasn't moving his arm. To make a very long story short he dislocated his elbow - also know as Nursemaid's Elbow - and was in a lot of pain. I was incredibly relieved when the x-rays came back normal and the doctor just walked in, snapped this bone back into place and viola, Spy was using his arm again in under 10 minutes.

Sitting there in the emergency room with him asleep on my shoulder made me think about how lucky I really am to have such a beautiful child. I know my last post was not so positive. Re-reading it now I realize how easily I become overwhelmed when even the smallest things do not go as planned. Today, however, holding my little one in my lap surrounded by the sick and in pain, I was so thankful to have him in my life, and I was begging, pleading to God for him to be OK. And he was OK. So I am going to do my best to try and not let the little things get to me. I am going to do my best to see every temper tantrum in a positive light. I am going to do my best to make sure that Spy knows how much I love him and how he means the world to me.

Don't sweat the small stuff, isn't that what they say?

Mommy I want something to eat.

2011-04-24T23:27:00.000-04:00

Today was a really tough day for me. Despite it being Easter and a beautiful sunny day outside, Spy was in a rare mood, contrary and defiant, which started at the torturously early hour of 5am. Every morning, upon waking my son greets me with the same six words, "Mommy, I want something to eat." Now those of you who know me well know about my crazy relationship with food and my perpetual struggle to lose weight. So hearing my son, ask for food every morning before even smiling or saying hello makes me paranoid that my son will inherit the unhealthy relationship I have with food.

To make matters worse, my son is THE PICKIEST eater. He tortures me on a daily basis by refusing to eat the food I make him. This is a power struggle that he saves only for me because I know for a fact at school (and for my mother) he eats everything that is put in front of him and then some. I fear that this was a result of his earliest days...when he was not latching on properly and literally starving in the hospital - something I only realized when the nurse came to do a home visit that next day and Simon had lost weight. The nurse recommended supplementing with formula (which by the way I had no objection too and I was furious that the nurses in the hospital did not pick up on the weight loss before we checked out - I would have started supplementing immediately had I known he was not getting enough to eat). To this day I still feel guilty knowing that he was screaming in the nursery because he was hungry. So I think subconsciously he is paying me back by refusing to eat what I give him.

Today besides refusing a healthy breakfast and throwing two temper tantrums before 8am because I would not give him Fruit Snacks (he calls them Fiats), Simon refused to wear his Easter outfit which I lovingly picked out for him at Gymboree and was so excited for him to wear. He literally thrashed and tried to rip the shirt off of himself for 10 minutes - he wanted to wear the monkey shirt he has slept in and worn for the past 2 days to the restaurant. Dan and I wrestled him into the car where he continued to thrash until 20 minutes later, defeated, we pulled over and I changed him into a different (ie clean) monkey shirt which luckily he accepted.

When we got to the restaurant he refused to eat again...only taking a few nibbles from the foccacia and having a few french fries despite our attempts to ply him with pasta, chicken fingers and dinner rolls. So by this time he is starving and miserable and is only happy when my father (thank goodness for Nonno Mario) takes him outside to watch the cars go by on West Chester Pike. While outside he promptly removes his shoes and walks around the parking lot in his socks...the perfect solution to his non Easter monkey shirt outfit.

So today I am not feeling like that much of a success. I have no pictures of my son in his adorable outfit, just a few pics that I managed to snap at 5am of him opening his Easter basket, which by the way Dan missed because he grunted and rolled over when I called to him to come and help us open the basket (another post for another time). I hope that this whole food thing is just a passing phase becuase I am not sure my already fragile food loving/hating ego can take much more of this rejection. At the very least I hope he starts to wait until we get downstairs in the morning to ask for food. "Hi Mommy" would sound much better first thing in the morning...a mom can dream...right?

Being Mindful in the Moment

2011-04-03T16:37:00.000-04:00

These last couple of months I have really been struggling to keep my head above water. It seems like whatever I try to accomplish be it eating healthily, maintaining a clean house, coming up with creative and fun lesson plans for my students, I am not having much success achieving any of it. This inability to do anything "right" has been a huge drain on my energy levels, and in turn has dragged me even further into a hole that I find hard to stick my head out of on most days.

I realize that most of the time, the reasons for my failures are a direct result of self sabotage. I find this especially true of trying to eat well and trying to be neat around the house. My intentions are good. I fall asleep at night determined to eat a healthy breakfast and throw in a load of laundry before I leave the house. But then I was up - late - because I have not slept well (for a million different reasons) and as I rush to get myself and Simon out the door on time breakfast becomes hot chocolate and whatever leftovers are in the teachers lounge at school. The laundry...well let's just say by the time I get home it has been forgotten...as I fret over the 3,000 other things I need to do around the house. This is where I become overwhelmed and shut down. And if I am lucky and Simon is napping, I curl up in a ball on the couch and try to catch up on precious sleep, instead of house work.

Now I know that I can take steps to prevent the teacher lounge scrounging and house work procrastination. I have already told you I am my own worst enemy, giving in to the lull of a nap instead of catching up on the necessary parts of my adult life.

Last Sunday, as I gorged on Chili and Wings from Hard Times Cafe in Alexandria - another impulsive albeit delicious misstep in my quest to be healthy - I read this tip on my smart phone from my FB "friend" Jillian Michaels:

Smart Tip: Most people sabotage themselves because they aren't mindful in the moment. Let your daily actions be governed by your goals & dreams. Whenever you are making an important decision first ask if it gets you closer to your goals or farther away. If the answer is closer, pull the trigger. If it's farther away make a different choice. Conscious choice making is a critical step in making your dreams a reality.

Now I wouldn't qualify eating lunch as an important decision per se but it is a decision I have to make every day and in the end it does affect my well being and my long term goal of being healthy. I loved this tip and have been thinking about it all week as I went about my days eating unhealthy meals and avoiding housework.

So this morning I made a conscious decision to try and actually stop and ask myself if what I am doing is going to help me get closer to or farther away from my long term goals. Because I do sabotage so many aspects of my life I think that it is going to be a very rock road for the next few weeks or at least until I get some tangible results from this decision. For this I apologize to my friends in advance.

So if you happen to see me talking to myself I am probably trying to talk myself out of having Thai food for lunch or skipping the gym to go to Starbucks. Just ignore me...or even better...remind me of my choice to live in mindfully in the moment. And I highly recommend looking up Jillian's FB page and friending her - the advice she gives a great - now if only I would follow it!

The Happiest Place on Earth

2011-02-06T15:19:00.000-05:00

No, not Disney. Wegmans.

Dan and I went to Wegmans this morning with Simon. We had breakfast at the breakfast bar and then all full from a yummy meal we went shopping. It really is the best place ever. My favorite yogurt was there for only 99 cents - at Walmart they are $1.29. Even JD likes the Wegman brand cat food better than anything we have ever gotten him elsewhere.

There is a rumor that they are going to open one up right here in KOP. Seriously. I will be there everyday if this is the case.

I hope that you are all enjoying the bright and sunny day outside. We are heading over to my brother's for a little superbowl action - should be fun.

Daddy's Little Helper

2011-02-01T13:44:00.000-05:00

Getting bundled up to go outside

Such a good helper

Bringing the wood to the fireplace

Are we finished yet?

How on Earth?

2011-01-27T18:11:00.000-05:00

Somehow I got an issue of Budget Traveller in the mail this week. I thought I had let my subscription expire but that is a whole other blog post.

So I am leafing through it on the couch and Spy is playing next to me. He comes up to me, points to the cover and says "Farful Tower." I looked at the cover and lo and behold it is the Eiffel Tower. For a minute I thought, "Wait, how does he know this is the Eiffel Tower?" Then I realized the answer. Ratatouille.

Ah, Disney. Thank you for making a world traveller of my 2 year old without having to leave the house.

Come on take me away...

2011-01-21T17:09:00.000-05:00

Shocking that I have not posted a new entry since May...and here we are a new year ahead of us. I find myself mostly in the same place as I was this time last year. A few things are different. Instead of student teaching I have a job as a preschool teacher. I also work part-time at Restoration Hardware. My little Spy is not so little any more. He is embracing his 2-year oldness with a ferocity that is pleasing and yet shocking at the same time.

I also have a new kitchen (yay!).

So today, as I tried to tidy up the dishes in my wonderfully deep sink with my fantastically modern faucet, Spy safely tucked away in his crib for a much needed nap, I was whisked back to a time and place I have not thought about in a long time. The trigger: The Unforgettable Fire by U2. The random shuffle on my impossibly small iPod Nano playing at mommy volume from my shiny red iHome landed on this song and poof! I was transported back to the summer of 1985. I am 12 years old and I am sweating my ass off trying to manually clean our pool with what was then the "top of the line" pool cleaner. The songs from this cassette tape were playing on my beat up old radio/tape player which I had received for my 9th birthday.

This flicker of a memory lead me to a train of thought about my thoroughly modern kitchen and my beautiful son, who on most days stands next to me on his little stool playing with the fancy new faucet while I wash dishes. What will the world be like when he is 37 years old? Will he wistfully think back to the "old fashion" gadgets of his youth and laugh at how terribly difficult things were for him then? I think about that dreaded pool cleaner. I had to drag it up and down the sides of the pool repeatedly to get the dirt off the sides and the bottom. And I had to do it at least twice a week or else the pool walls started to turn green. I also remember thinking to myself, "There has to be a better way to do this!!!" Who does this job now? A little love bug of a gadget known in the pool world as a Polaris whom my family has affectionately nicknamed Herbie.

So I wrap up this first post of the new year with a reminder of how far we have come not just in one year but in the many that have passed. I hope that this year brings all of us further along on our journey in this life, sometimes strange but mostly wonderful. And I hope that Spy will be able to look back on this time - well what he may remember of it - and see how far he has come on his own personal journey.

Quick Update

2010-05-03T13:25:00.000-04:00

As of this Saturday I am down 30lbs exactly! I need to get D to take pictures so I can compare them to my first "Biggest Loser" post so as soon as I do this I will write a longer more detailed review of my weight loss journey so far.

Hope everyone is well!

The Biggest Gainer

2010-04-07T22:53:00.000-04:00

I had a revelation tonight. D and I went to dinner with Spy to a local place here in KOP. It is a bar mainly but there are about 9 tables for those who want to eat in. Almost all the tables were full and every single person sitting at each table, with the exception of D, was overweight. I include myself in this scenario as I still have a long way to get my BMI into a healthy range. Most of the patrons were women and more than half of these women were clearly obese. We are talking Biggest Loser size. Of course at this point I had already ordered my chicken quesedilla so by the time it came I had 2 pieces and was so disgusted with myself (for not ordering salad) that I had the rest wrapped up for D to eat for lunch tomorrow.

I have never been in a restaurant before where all of the patrons were overweight. What a huge eye opener...is this wear we are heading as a nation? I mean I know that there are TV shows and news reports in abundance telling us how we are on the fast track to being the fattest nation in the world but until tonight it really did not sink in.

And so now I am beating myself up because I have been having a rough couple of weeks with staying on track with what I am eating. Last night I had popcorn and a Russel Stoffer Milk Chocolate Easter Bunny for dinner. I mean really, what the eff? We have no food as I need to go grocery shopping - on my to do list for tomorrow if Spy is not acting like a mad man - so it is inevitable that I will eat poorly. The kicker...I enjoyed this dinner of champions while sacked out on the couch watching The Biggest Loser...I just might pitch my own show, The Biggest Gainer, but then after what I witnessed tonight we would have to include all of America.

I know that I need to look at this difficult week in a positive light. I have lost over 25 lbs and am healthier now than I was this time last year. I had a Dr appt yesterday to get my foot checked out (I think I have nerve damage) and when I asked the Dr how much I weight at my last visit (June 2009) she said 186! Yesterday I was 160! So I need to keep my achievements in the forefront of my thoughts so I do not slide back into old habits and throw away all of my hard earned success. Yes, I ate poorly today (and yesterday and most of this week) but tomorrow is a new day and I will have restocked my fridge and pantry with healthy good for me foods. By this summer I want to join my husband at a healthy weight and be the other thin person in the restaurant when we go out to eat.

The Home Stretch

2010-03-27T21:28:00.000-04:00

I am taking a mini-break from finishing my student teaching binder. I am really thinking I will be able to turn it in on Monday - miracle!!!

I had a good week weight loss wise - I am officially 27.2 lbs lighter than I was in August. It feels great but what is even better is that I pulled a pair of jeans out of the "jean graveyard" in my guest room, jeans that I have not worn since summer 2005 and they fit!!! Hooray!!!! The fact that I spent Thursday night barfing my guts up probably contributed to the weight loss but I am not complaining.

I got the job at LOFT and start Tuesday. Was supposed to start yesterday but was so weak from puking - and not sleeping due to Spy waking up exactly 15 minutes after I stopped puking at 4am and then staying awake until 7:30am - that I had to cancel. I was so bummed because I could not wait to get started...sigh...I hope they don't write me off as some irresponsible person because I bailed on the first day of work. Although I am sure they would not have wanted me potentially vomiting on LOFT customers so I guess in the end it worked out.

Despite my fantastic weight loss I am not doing a good job of exercising so I went out and got an exercise mat to try and squeeze some ab work in on those days when Spy wakes up so gosh darn early that I want to scream...I might as well try to wake up with some ab work while Spy runs around like a mad man in the AM. I swear this kid is the earliest riser ever...where the heck did he get it from? Clearly not Dan nor I.

OK, kiddies, back to my Diagnostic Profile. Until next time.

Destinazione Paradiso

2010-03-17T14:07:00.000-04:00

In February, my family and I traveled to the Dominican Republic for a week. We stayed at the Coconut Palms Resort in Cabarete which is on the North Shore of the DR. It was a fantastic week...my parents got to spend some quality time with their grandson and Dan and I got to relax and drink frozen drinks and soak up some sun. The resort is no frills but family friendly and the apartments were large and clean. The best part about the whole trip was how nice everyone was. By the end of our stay Simon had quite a fan club.

The view of the beach from the balcony of our room.

The pool at the resort.

With Dan in Puerto Plata at the San Felipe Fort

Simon demanding his Happy Hour pineapple slices.

The view at the beach.

The real way to drink a Pina Colada.

Simon buckles up for the ride home.

Until next year Cabarete...we will miss you!

You have a brown tooth...

2010-03-15T22:31:00.000-04:00

So my weigh in on Sat went really well. I was down 4.2 lbs (yikes!) so my total weight loss is 26.2 lbs. I am very pleased with myself even if I am still not able to run more than 3 minutes at a time.

I subbed today at my old pre-school in the 3 year old classroom. It was so much fun...I really miss being a teacher at this school. The woman that I worked with when I was there is retiring so I am hoping and praying that they will hire me in September to replace her. In the meantime I have an interview tomorrow afternoon at Ann Taylor LOFT...totally random, I know but we could use the extra income and my wardrobe could definitely use the discount.

I think my favorite part about today was one of my little monsters telling me that my "tooth was really brown and I should brush more often." Hummmm, I was kneeling down and looking at him right up close trying to explain to him why he needs to keep his hands to himself. Way to change the subject and disarm me, three year old sociopath. Just kidding, he is not a sociopath but he is a bit of a terror. And yet I had a blast today jumping back in, breaking up the "fights" and reading stories and playing with Playdoh (sp?). I want to do it all the time!!! Oh and for the record I asked around and I DO NOT have a brown tooth.

I am on my laptop or else I would post some pictures of the Dominican. I will promise to do this soon...one of the times I post from our desktop. In the meantime the weather is supposed to be getting nicer this week so I am looking forward to many walks and some playground time with Spy.

Speaking of Spy...it hit me the other day that my baby is no longer a baby but a little boy. I cried as I watched him try to walk down the two stairs in our family room without turning around and crawling down. He made his way over to the wall, held onto the gate, and walk down the stairs...sniff, sniff. Where did the last 15 months go?

Catching Up

2010-03-08T14:43:00.000-05:00

What a crazy night. We went to La Locanda for my Dad's dinner party and I ended up having to leave because I felt like crap. Mom took Simon home with her so I could sleep, lest I ended up vomiting all night, which thankfully I did not.

I went for a run outside yesterday and I almost barfed up a lung. That should have been my first clue that I was not feeling well but I chalked it up to not having been able to work out since before my trip to the Dominican (will post pictures next). I definitely gained at least 5lbs during my vacation...many many Pina Coladas at happy hour will do that to you. When I weighed in on Sat I was up 3.2lbs so I was able to lose some before the meeting. I tried out a new meeting with my friend Dawn and I really liked it. Sometimes it is good to shake things up and it is nice to have Dawn there to bounce ideas off of. I really miss my old leader, Jess, but she switched to a different meeting too far away from KOP. The person that replaced her was ok. So I decided to try the Collegeville meeting and it was good.

I am not sure if I am going to be able to run a full 5k on April 17. I am still going to sign up for it and try but I am still only running about 3 minutes at a time and no more than that. But that is 3 min more than I could run in Jan so I am happy with that. There are others walking this particular race so worst case I run and then walk the rest of the way.

I have to start doing some core training - the running is not going to be enough to help me reach my final weight goal by the end of the year. I think I have a new incentive - if I reach my goal and maintain my weight for 6 weeks and make it to life time I am going to get one of my tattoos redesigned. I have 2 that are old and fading that need to be touched up but I think that I might have one redesigned in honor of my son. I have been thinking about it for a while so hopefully by the time I reach my goals I will have figured out what design I want and they will be able to do something over the existing tat I have.

OK, I have to get dressed and pic up Simon. Pics of the Dominican to follow in the next post. Ciao!

Mother Nature is a hater.

2010-02-13T21:18:00.000-05:00

Snow, snow and more snow. I am really tired of looking out the window and seeing white. And we are supposed to get more on Monday. Really? Is Mother Nature that much of a hater? I guess so.

Due to the lovely weather I was unable to weigh in last week. I was also unable to run outside. I ran a few times inside but for some reason the treadmill makes it seem so much harder so I was unable to run any longer than 90 second intervals. Oh yeah and I had a death cold this week as well. Being stuck in the house meant having no where to go when I felt a feeding frenzy come along so needless to say I gained 1lb this week. Which honestly is not bad since I really thought it would be more.

My cousin still has not e-mailed me her workout program or answered my e-mails so I am just going to go ahead and assume that I will have to find a way to work out my core on my own. Which is fine really because I found some really great circuit routines in Fitness Magazine which may suit my needs. Now the issue is finding the time to squeeze them in. Now that Simon is no longer in daycare and I am at home I will have to do the workouts when he naps which also means less house work gets done. This then becomes an issue with my hubby...sigh...it never ends. But today's WW meeting was about making yourself a priority so if the only time I can work out is when I am supposed to be doing chores then so be it. At least for now, getting in shape and being able to run a 5k is my priority.

I realize I have not posted pictures of Spy in a while. I apologize and promise to remedy this ASAP. I am also recently obsessed with moving into a new house to be closer to my parents. Yes, I know this is crazy in this market but my continuous watching of HGTV has made me house crazy. We are just checking out what is available closer to them now and see what is out there. It may never happen but I wanted to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later in case we find something we love. There is no way we can have a second child unless I have more support and that translates into being closer to Mom and Dad. And I was the one who swore she would never move back home...never say never...

The Cold Is My Least Favorite Thing About Winter

2010-01-31T16:08:00.000-05:00

Uggg, more snow last night. And it is frigid and icy out today. I had to use the treadmill to get my run in which meant I had to dust and vacuum my attic lest I get an allergy attack from the dust.

I am down 2.2lbs this week making my grand total 25lbs since August. Yesterday I put on a pair of jeans and they were loose - these used to be my tight party jeans - I would wear them out because they were a bit tight and they would remind me not to over eat. Luckily I am a jean hoarder so I just have to go into my stash of smaller jeans to find a new pair of "party jeans." So even though daycare is sucking every last penny out of us I can still "shop" in the closet in my spare room for clothes that fit. I will take what I can get.

Still waiting on my cousin to send me my first 3 minute crush routine. Next week will be my last week of student teaching so I am going to have to figure out how to fit my runs/exercise in...I guess I will just have to use the treadmill while Simon naps or else wait until Dan gets home to run outside. Once the days get longer this should not be a problem. What is important is that I do not use this change in schedule as an excuse to not exercise. I have come to far to let this happen...also I am a bit addicted to it now I have to say which I guess is good.

OK, I have to finish up my lesson plans for this week...one last batch before I am on "vacation." Until I find a new job that is.

Lazy Sunday

2010-01-24T12:02:00.000-05:00

Hello all. Just an update. Down 2 lbs this week - yay!!!

I went on my run today and have to admit it is getting so much easier. I am running now for 2 minute intervals something I never thought I could do. I think I am starting to get addicted - the feeling I get when I finish my run is amazing. Almost like I am taking a drug. I know people say that exercise is the best medicine for the blues...jeeze they were not kidding!

In other news...I have 2 full weeks left of student teaching. I am torn - in a way I am glad to be finishing...I need the time to finish my student teaching binder and my exit portfolio. At the same time I am really going to miss my students. They are my shining stars and I am sad that I will not be able to see them through to the end of the year. It has been exciting to celebrate their successes and help them through their difficulties. I will probably cry like a baby on my last day.

I am also confused about my job search. At this point I go between wanting to start a job right away to waiting until summer to look for a position in September. The issue is daycare. If I didn't have Simon I would start right away but daycare is so expensive I kind of really need to choose my next job carefully. I won't be certified until at least April so that is an issue as well...sigh...what to do, what to do...

OK, Simon is going to wake up soon. Must run. Have a great week everyone!

Proceed at Your Own Risk

2010-01-16T20:22:00.006-05:00

OK people. I apologize in advance for the temporary blindness that may occur from viewing this post. You see, the thing is, my fabulous cousin Toni, who happens to be a personal trainer, has inspired me to take on another challenge on my road to being healthy and strong. As some of you already know I joined Weight Watchers in August 2009 and as of this morning am 20.8lbs thinner and a whole heck of a lot more healthy for it. Up to now, I have been able to accomplish this weight loss based solely on eating better and making smarter choices about how much and what I eat. The problem is I have reached a bit of a plateau. I have been lucky. Until now I have not "exercised" in the true sense of the word. That is all about to change.

In April I will participate in the 3rd Annual Sunflower Run, a 5K held in memory of Aime Willard, a former schoolmate of mine who was brutally murdered in 1996. I have never run before in my life...I mean never ever.... so this will truly be a personal victory for me. I have started the Couch-to-5K program and and gone on two "runs." I am happy to report I did not die or even barf up a lung which I was sure I would do at the very least.

In addition to training for the 5K, Toni put out a challenge to her family and friends which you can read about on her blog here. I have decided that in order to be fully prepared to successfully run this 5K I will need to be strong. I will need to work my core and Toni has provided me with the perfect motivation. So as per her request I am posting my "before" photos here, Biggest Loser style as well as my current weight which as of this morning is 166.2lbs.

My husband asked me why on earth I would want to post these photos on my blog for my friends, family and random internet lurkers to see. The answer is simple. I have come a long way since August and while I am not perfect I am very proud of everything I have accomplished up to now. If the people on the Biggest Loser, people with far greater weight issues, can bare all on national TV then I certainly can post pictures of myself during my weight loss journey. Like the 5K this is just another way of making me accountable for my actions. And if I can inspire someone else to make healthy changes along the way then even better.

I will do my best to post about my progress in the next 6 weeks. I will also promise to try and post on a more regular basis about Italy, teaching, Spy and the other things that occupy my life these days. I will post my "after" pictures 6 weeks from now so you can see how Toni's program has worked for me.

A presto, ragazzi!!!

2009 Meme

2009-12-28T21:46:00.007-05:00

I swiped this from the fabulous Michelle at Bleeding Espresso. I did not do this in 2008 (for obvious reasons) so I am happy to revisit this meme and reflect on what has been an exciting and eventful year. To see what I did in 2007 click here.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Participate in the Kids Lit Klub at Cabrini where I worked with 3 amazing women to create a reading camp from start to finish. Work in an elementary school as a reading specialist. Be a mom.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I think the only "resolution" I made was to be the best mom possible to my son - hopefully I have done this but you never know.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? So many babies so little time...the short list of new babies...Mackenzie, Isabella, Booker, Jack, Olivia (beautiful niece #1), Naomi (beautiful niece #2), Taylor (beautiful niece #3), Ethan (beautiful nephew)...I am sure there are more but who can keep track!

4. Did anyone close to you die? Not this year, but my friend Dave passed away in Sept of 2008 after a 9 m0nth battle with Melanoma. I think of him and his family often.

5. What countries did you visit? Italy

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009? My teaching certification and a job!

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Jan 4 - my friend Suzie went into labor while watching the Eagles game at her parents house. April 17 - had to take Simon to the Emergency Room in the middle of the night because he fell out of his carseat. he had to have a cat scan and it was awful. May 15 - my niece Olivia was born. Oct 12 - my first day student teaching!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Passing all my Praxis tests on the first try!

9. What was your biggest failure? I wish I had been able to breast feed Simon longer - but 5 months is great.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Not that I can recall. Had surgery on my gums which was heinous but I am lucky to have been healthy. Still have high blood pressure, despite my weight loss.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Well my mom bought it for me but my Snuggie. There, I said it.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My beautiful son who has learned to walk at 12 months!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? JD our cat...bad bad bad kitty likes to poop and pee in our basement but not in his litter box which is in the basement.

14. Where did most of your money go? Our mortgage, our bills, the last of my grad school classes. Oh yeah, and formula, diapers, etc.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Taking Simon to Italy to meet Nonna Linda!

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? I Gotta Feelin by the Black Eyed Peas....Simon loves this song and dances to it all the time.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer? Happier (getting more sleep!), thinner (like by 65lbs!), the same...still need to find a job.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? At the beginning of the year...sleep!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Second guessing my parenting skills.

20. How did you spend Christmas? Dad, Uncle, Dan, Simon and I had dinner at our house. Mom was in Italy and we missed her.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009? Yes, with Stacy's Simply Naked Pita Chips...I am eating some right now!

22. What was your favorite TV program? Glee!!! Makes me so happy!

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I try not to be a hater.

24. What was the best book you read? The Things They Carried by Tom O'Brien. Not my usual cup of tea but a really moving book.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? The Laurie Berkner Band - Simon loves her and so do I!

27. What did you want and not get? A paying job.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? Duh, New Moon :)

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I was 36 and I was in class that night so I didn't do anything. Dan took me to dinner later that week. (this was the same thing as 2007...weird)

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Getting paid for my student teaching - but I love it so I cannot complain.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? It fits? I'll wear it!

32. What kept you sane? My son's smile and giggles.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? My favorite vampire - Robert Pattinson

34. What political issue stirred you the most? Clean water is a basic human right .

35. Who did you miss? All my DC ladies...I still miss you greatly!

36. Who was the best new person you met? Karen, my cooperating teacher

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009. No matter how bleak life seems, there is always someone who is worse off than you - so get over it!

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. Still the same as 2007. "In dreams begin responsibilities" - U2, Acrobat My dream was to have a family of my own...and with that came all my responsibilities.

How did you all fair in 2009? Post a comment if you decided to do a year end review so I can read it as well.

I have high hopes for 2010 so bring it on peeps!

Happy (Belated) B-day Spy!

2009-12-03T20:41:00.004-05:00

On December1, my beautiful baby boy turned 1. I cannot believe that a year has passed since we checked into the hospital and our son arrived. What an incredible year it has been. Watching our son grow from a helpless little bundle to a free spirited, lovable, snugly little boy has been amazing. We are so excited for all the fun things he has in store for us. We love you baby! Happy Birthday!

What do you do when you are thirsty?

2009-11-19T22:18:00.003-05:00

Run to your sink to grab a glass of water? Go to the water cooler at work and refill your water bottle? There are so many people in our world, specifically Africa, that do not have such a simple but important luxury.

During this time of giving thanks, I am asking my readers to become a fan of Chase Community Giving on Facebook. Once you do this you can vote for the African Well Fund - the winner receives $25,000 towards their charity. With this money the AWF can fund an entire water and sanitation project, which depending on the country, can service thousands of people in villages that have no access to clean water.

Click on the link above to become a fan and vote. It will only take a few seconds...and in doing do you can change the lives of thousands of men, women and children who lack basic yet life saving access to clean water.

11 months young

2009-11-05T21:00:00.002-05:00

Oh where o where has the time gone? My little man was 11 months old on Sunday. In a few short weeks we will be celebrating his 1st birthday...unbelievable. I love you peeper!

Lil' Pumpkin - 10 months

2009-10-03T14:17:00.006-04:00

Spy was 10 months old this week. Here we are at Linvilla Orchards with cousins Sofia and Olivia, Zia Lisa, Nonna Maria and Nonno Mario and our good friend Leandro. Simon was wary at first and then really had fun feeling all the pumpkin stems...what can I say...he is very tactile!

I cannot believe that in a few short months we will be celebrating his first birthday! Crazy!!! He is a super fast crawler and loves to pull himself up and then let go...soon he will be walking and then all the fun will begin. He has 3 teeth and 3 more breaking through...so it has been a rough past couple of nights but we love him to pieces anyway!

With Nonno/a

The awesome Halloween display.

Very tactile my son.

Sofia has fun on the playground.

A lil' bit o' this n a lil' bit o' that

2009-09-22T08:00:00.001-04:00

Since I have lost my ability to focus on any one thing for more than a period of 5 minutes, I have decided to post a bunch of blurbs about what is going on with me. You know for the 2 of you who still tune in to read this blog.

Whet to Fogo de Chao Sunday night and had a very un-Weight Watchers friendly dinner. Seriously, it was a crazy meat-a-licious meal. If you like meat I highly recommend the experience.

Speaking of Weight Watchers, I joined when I got back from Italy and have lost 11.2lbs in 6 weeks. I feel pretty awesome, better than I have in months. Now if only I can convince Spy to sleep through the night and I would feel 100%.

I took the Praxis II on Sept. 12. I need to pass it in order to student teach. I find out the results on Oct. 9 and I am supposed to start student teaching on Oct. 12. Talk about cutting it close and waiting until the last minute. Yeah, that is how I roll. If I fail...well I have to take it again in Nov and I student teach in Jan. Sigh.

Simon is crawling now, Lord help us all. He also has 3 teeth with at least 2 more on the way. He is still not sleeping through the night and hence I am not sleeping through the night either. If I do end up student teaching there are going to have to be some changes in our household with regards to who gets up to get Simon in the middle of the night. Yes, I am talking to you, D.

I need a mani/pedi in the worst way. My feet look like hooves. As usual, I have no time for this.

I am crazily looking forward to the next movie in the Twilight Saga: New Moon. Yes, I know it is a movie for teenagers. No, I do not care. The trailer made me squeal like a school girl at a Hot Topic meet and greet which by the way I have never been too in case you were wondering.

Finally, today is our 2 year anniversary. I cannot believe 2 years have gone by so quickly.

Happy Anniversary Baby!

The End of an Era

2009-09-14T23:09:00.004-04:00

Orry Main. Johnny Castle. Vida Boheme.

Patrick Swayze

You will be missed.

9 months old

2009-09-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

They say time flies when you are having fun...where have the last 9 months gone? Our little monkey is growing like a weed. He has two perfect teeth in this perfect mouth. He is almost crawling forward...definitely crawling backwards and can pull himself up in his crib. Sigh. Soon he will be asking for the keys to the car...what on earth will I do then?

A few days late but...

2009-09-03T23:07:00.002-04:00

Happy 40th Anniversary Mom and Dad!!!

May you enjoy 40 more years of memories and happiness!

4 generations

2009-08-28T21:34:00.004-04:00

This last trip to Italy was memorable in so many ways. However, I think I can say that seeing my Nonna Linda enjoy her great-grandchildren was probably the best part of my vacation. Here we are: my brother, my sister-in-law, my two beautiful nieces, my mom, me, my husband and my son all surrounding my Nonna. 4 generations of D'Angelo/DiFilippo/Palumbi blood...I can only hope that we can continue this tradition for many years to come!

8 months old

2009-08-11T09:23:00.004-04:00

I was unable to post a 7 month picture of Simon since we left for Italy on July 1st. So here is our big boy - all grown up - 8 months old - rooting for the Phillies and doing his best crawl pose...it is only a matter of time before he is on the move!

Clearly he is the spitting image of my hubby and looks nothing like me at all. Honestly it is a bit of a disappointment that my genes were recessive in this child...you always wonder what physical traits you will pass on...sigh...well I guess at some point we will have to give it another go. Just not yet.

Simon had a wonderful time in Italia. He was very much in love with is great-grandmother Nonna Linda and smiled every time he saw her. He was wonderful on the plane - both ways - and managed to charm the air hostesses every time the passed our row. He really is such a happy and fun baby but he is also very active that I find that I have a hard time keeping up. Probably because I am the laziest person I know. Go figure I would have a hyper baby!

We are in the process of uploading and sorting our many pics from Italy most of which are of Simon. He had his first visit to the beach and dipped his feet into the Adriatic. He met and visited with lots of his cousins. He had a blast with Sofia and Olivia once they arrived. Once the pics are sorted I will post them and some of my musings and observations from my trip.

A presto!

We're back!

2009-08-10T15:20:00.003-04:00

After 5 weeks in my beloved Italia we are back home. Pics and stories to come....if Simon will give me enough time to upload all the photos that is!

A preview of what is to come...

The Yeagers in Castelli - Photo by Lisa Palumbi

Almost there

2009-06-25T21:18:00.003-04:00

I apologize to the 3 of you who still read my blog. The last 6 weeks have been a whirlwind of grad school classes, interrupted sleep and Kids Literacy Klub (KLK). I am happy to say that as of tonight I have taken my last graduate class. There are only 3 more days of KLK left. On Wed night we will be on a plane to Italy. Hooray!

The only crappy thing is that I found out today - due to some major mis-communication on the part of me and my adviser - that I have one last Praxis test to take before I am legally allowed to student teach in the state of PA.

Um, WTF? The next testing date is July 25 which I cannot make since I will be in Italy. I will have to register for the Sept 12 test (from Italy btw) the results of which I will get 4 weeks later. So if I am lucky and pass on the first try ONLY THEN can I student teach. By then it will be mid October so I am not even sure it will be feasable which means I will have to push it off until January. I am seriously pissed off.

The beauty of this whole clusterf**k is that I just happened to have a conversation with one of my colleagues today which sparked this whole thing...if I had not talked to her I would not have known I had missed this major requirement. I mean seriously...there is a woman who is in charge of our student teaching assignments. She is supposed to make sure our portolios are complete before she gives us the assignments. When was she planning on letting me know that my file was incomplete?!?!?! Sigh.

Anyway after my quasi nervous breakdown this afternoon I realized that everything happens for a reason so who knows...maybe this will all be a good thing, right?

So I apologize for being such an absent blogger. Again I leave on Wed so it is possible that this will be my last post until August. Unless I find an awesome internet cafe and some free time to update you on my travels.

So until then enjoy your summers, stay safe, wear sunscreen and have a good time!!!

6 months

2009-06-02T00:09:00.008-04:00

It is hard to believe that half a year has gone by since our little SPY was born. He has changed and grown so much in just 6 months...what an adventure! We had our well-baby visit today and the doctor was so please with his progress. He is measuring in the 81% for both height (27.5 inches) and weight (19.9 lbs). He is hitting all of his milestones and then some! He is also teething which has made it interesting for me as I am the one who gets up with him at night...oh joy...but as they say...this too shall pass! Here are some more recent pics of my little buggie. Enjoy!

Our newest addition

2009-05-18T09:33:00.002-04:00

A great super huge welcome to Olivia Maria Palumbi! My sweet niece arrived in the morning on Friday May 15 weighing in at 7lbs 3oz. Big sister Sofia, Mommy and Daddy are all excited for her arrival. Zia Paola is excited to spoil another little princess. Congratulation to everyone!

The Mommy Lens

2009-05-16T23:48:00.000-04:00

I never truly realized how much having my own child would color the way I look at the world.

A few years back, my new book club decided to read the Kite Runner. I had already read the book and loved it so I was excited to talk about it with new people. Before the meeting I asked my SIL about it and she admitted that she only read half the book. "I could not get past that one scene...you know...where the little boy gets attacked," she said to me. "I think it is because I have two sons and all I can think about is them when I read the book." "Sure," I said, "that makes sense to me." But in my head I thought, how silly of her. The book is so good...she is missing out on a sad but great story.

I think about this conversation a lot lately. Now that Simon is here I see everything through Mommy colored glasses. A commercial for Save the Children unleashes uncontrollable sobs. Suddenly, the little boy on the screen has my son's face and his suffering is unbearable. I hear a story about kids bringing guns to school on the news. My mind immediately flashes to Simon in middle school, sitting at his desk, unaware that the kid next to him has a gun in his locker. My heart skips a beat at the thought of him in peril.

Not all of this is gloom and doom. The melody of the Jack and Jill truck has me daydreaming of summers to come, Simon's face all dirty with melted ice cream and a huge satisfied smile. I see the signs for Phillies Baseball Camp at Upper Merion and I envision my son in his baseball uniform sliding into home plate. Prom season has me wondering about the person my son will take to prom...what will this person be like? Will Dan and I approve?

This Mommy Vision has taken me by surprise. I knew things would change and it is only logical that my world view would change as well...but I am still just amazed at how different the everything looks to me now. Amazed yet pleased. I would not change my mommy glasses for the world.

5 months

2009-05-10T22:59:00.004-04:00

OK so I am late with this picture...and it was taken this weekend so it is more like 5 months and 1 week but frankly with as sleep deprived as I am I am thankful I am even posting right now!

All dressed up for a cocktail party we went to this weekend. He is getting so big and is blossoming into a beautiful little boy. He rolled over today (twice) and his talking up a storm, reaching for objects in mommy's hand and is definitely experiencing stranger anxiety - oh joy!

Today was my first Mother's Day and it was great. Simon & Daddy let me sleep in until 11 am and Simon is getting my car detailed as one of my gifts. As crazy as it sounds I am so excited for this as my car is a pit and it makes me anxious to drive it as dirty as it is right now. My how my priorities have changed! He also got me a coupon for a mani/pedi, lunch and a movie with my SIL for sometime in the future. She is due with bambino #2 on Friday so I am sure that at some point this summer - when we all return from Italia - Lisa and I will cash in our coupons for some pampering, good food and a movie...when does New Moon come out again? Just kidding!

I hope everyone enjoyed a fantastic Mother's Day!!!

The Brightest Star in the Sky

2009-05-06T21:09:00.005-04:00

Yay!!! My most favorite of authors, Marian Keyes, has finished her latest book, The Brightest Star in the Sky. Unfortunately for us in the US it will not be released here until Jan 2010. You lucky folks in Ireland and the UK get it in October.

For those of you that have never read her books...run out immediately and get a copy of Watermelon her first novel. It is so freaking funny. I promise you will be hooked. It makes for perfect summer reading.

Finally...something fantastic to look forward to in the new year!!

Organize to Exercise

2009-05-04T00:39:00.006-04:00

Some of you may know about my super cool, extra fit cousin Toni, personal trainer extraodrinaire.

Click here to read an article she just recently wrote about fitting exercise into your lifestyle.

You can also go to her website Training With Toni to sign up for her personalized fitness videos - her 3 Minute Crush Program is amazin and gets results!!!

Remember June (and bathing suit weather) is just around the corner...YIKES!!!

Every generation has a chance to change the world

2009-04-30T23:05:00.003-04:00

Only 10 days left to make a donation to the 7th Annual African Well Fund Build a Well for Bono's Birthday Fundraiser.

Click here to donate.

I know that times are tough financially but the next time you drink a glass of water think about how many people do not have access to such simple thing...a sad yet shocking reality for so many less fortunate than us.

As U2 says, "Every generation has a chance to change the world." Let our generation be responsible for providing clean water to those who need it.

Quick updates

2009-04-09T23:49:00.004-04:00

Since I find that I have not time to write meaningful posts...I have ideas all the time just no time to actually write about them...I figured I would try to do some quick jot updates every now and again so people don't think I am dead.

Grad school still sucks...my math course especially. I think this teacher may be the worst professor I have ever had and I will be lucky to get an A...grrrr.

Simon attended his first story hour at the library. We sang songs, listened to stories and watched puppets perform. I think he liked it - he was probably just happy to be out of our house and surrounded by people other than myself. I met some moms in the neighborhood and am looking forward to hanging out at the play ground after story time next week.

Simon got his passport today...Italia here we come!

I am really loving Lost this season...I look forward to watching each episode on Thursday mornings while Simon sleeps on my lap...how pathetic am I?

Earthquake update: My family is ok. Our house suffered some minor disruption in the form of pictures falling off the walls and knick knacks broken but nothing major. Thank goodness. Abruzzo will never be the same. My prayers and thoughts go out to everyone affected by this tragedy. The National Italian American Foundation is collecting relief funds. If you are interested in making a donation click here.

OK, I have to sleep...I am so tired and Simon will be awake before I know it.

I hope everyone is well and I hope to see or hear from most of you soon!

Ciao a tutti!

4 months

2009-04-03T21:29:00.001-04:00

Where has the time gone!!!

Aiutatemi!!!

2009-04-01T22:20:00.004-04:00

This post is for all those Americans living in Italy that may or may not read my blog. For those of you that have children and use formula...what brands are available in Italy? We will be heading over to Abruzzo in July...me, Mom and Simon first...and I will have fully weened Simon by then. We supplement now with Enfamil Prosobee Formula (pictured above) which is soy based...what are the odds of us finding that there?

He will be 7 months so I am sure if we bring a can of Enfamil and mix it with the Italian stuff he will get used to it but we will be there a month so I want to be sure we have all our bases covered. I am afraid if we abruptly switch his formula it will upset his stomach.

I am excited for our trip and nervous about the logistics of travelling overseas with a 7 month old...thank goodness for my mom!!!

Today is Simon's 4 month b-day... I will post his 4 month pictures tomorrow.

Please post in my comments if you have any suggestions for formula...I will be forever grateful!!!

Mille grazie, amici!!!

14 weeks

2009-03-17T23:38:00.005-04:00

Some pics of my little cutie...he got a new walker this week...not that his feet even touch the ground but thankfully he loves to sit in it while mommy does chores.

Here is one of my favorite pics of late - what a great smile!

Who is the World's Cutest Baby? Simon that is who!!

I cannot believe he will be 4 months old in a few weeks...where did the time go?

Big Man Little Man

2009-03-08T22:22:00.003-04:00

How cute are my boys? How can you not love that little smile!!!

At a loss for words

2009-03-04T23:01:00.002-05:00

For those that know me well, U2 is more than just a band. My love affair with Bono, Edge, Larry and Adam began at the ripe age of 10...seeing as I am going to be 36 this year this speaks volumes.

Of these four Irish lads there is one in particular that gets my blood pumping, literally with his pounding drum beats and ageless good looks. Larry Mullen Jr is definitely my favorite member of the band. He is somewhat of an enigma...until the Elevation tour where he miraculously came out of his shell and gasp! smiled on a regular basis, signed autographs and handed out drum sticks at the end of shows...one of which he handed to me one night in Dec 2001 in Tampa. But I digress.

Click below to see this truly handsome man answer questions at the Knicks game. For those who know the band like I do this is an amazing moment...he looks like he is having fun!!! As I pick up my jaw from the floor I share with you this video...enjoy.

3 months old

2009-03-03T23:00:00.004-05:00

Here is a picture of my little Casanova who celebrated his 3 month b-day on Sunday. It was also his Baptism so as soon as I upload pics from everyone I will post about that.

I cannot believe that 3 months have gone by since our little man came into this world. He is changing everyday and doing so many new things. He is still a bit "Simon Scissorhands" hence the mittens...his nails grow like weeds and need to be cut everyday...something I cannot do mostly because he is so squirmy.

He is almost ready to sit up on his own and talks up a storm to anyone who will listen. Last week he slept through the night 3 times - amazing! Hopefully this trend will continue as I look like a wreck and as the photos from Sunday horrifically show I still look pregnant. I do not understand this as I do fit into at least one pair of my pre-pregnancy jeans. It is a mystery. And no my feet have still not returned to their normal size...tear.

Anyhoo, I hope to get back to posting on a more regular basis...I promise to try and not make this all so Simon-centric...it will be hard!

The little things

2009-02-15T11:26:00.003-05:00

It is amazing how something so small as fresh clean sheets and new pillows can make a night's sleep so satisfying...even if I only get to sleep 3 hours at a time.

While scrounging around in my attic for shoes that might fit me (my feet have completely changed shape since my pregnancy but that is a whole other post) I found the new king size down pillows that my mom had brought over after Simon was born. I must have put them somewhere bothersome because they wound up in the attic thanks to my husband and his borderline OCD.

So I decided to retire our pillows and try these new ones and man are they awesome. Funny how such a small change can make all the difference.

Wow, what a boring post...is this what my life has become?

On the upside the new U2 album comes out on March 2 - what I have heard so far is a bit meh but I am reserving judgement until I can listen to the whole thing. New album = new tour. Too bad I will probably only see one show - if I am lucky - Ticketmaster is merging with Live Nation which is sure to eff up any attempts to buy tickets on my part. I am not even sure it would be worth the effort frankly - wow did I jut say that?

Grad school is heating up...I have to complete 15 hours with a student - my literacy partner. While I love doing this sort of thing it is a major pain to find someone when you are not teaching. Thankfully my friend has loaned me her son for this purpose - he is in third grade and I am meeting with him this afternoon.

Tuesday I take the Praxis I. I am scared out of my wits that I will fail the math part...I did a practice test and just barely made the passing score for PA certification. I really do not want to have to take this test more than once...sigh...we shall see what happens.

OK, that is pretty much all that is going on here. Simon is getting bigger and bigger. His baptism is March 1 so we are gearing up for that. I will post pictures afterwards. I still have to upload a bunch of the more recent pics we took...maybe I will do that tonight...if Spy behaves and goes to bed on time like a good boy.

Peace out.

2 months old

2009-02-01T11:51:00.002-05:00

Happy 2 month b-day Simon! I cannot believe it has been 2 months since you came into this world. You have grown so much and brought us so much happiness...the best part is that it is only going to bet better day by day! We love you peep!

My little man

2009-01-26T10:43:00.003-05:00

I profusely apologize for not posting recently. It is hard to type proficiently with one hand when you are holding, feeding, nursing a baby in the other. People claim they do it all the time but I am not so sure.

Graduate classes started last week as well so I am also scrambling to find time to do my readings and homework. I cannot wait to finish all my courses...with a little luck I will be student teaching in the fall - yay!!!

I encourage you all to visit my SIL's blog to see some super cute pics of Simon and Sofia. They are on their way to becoming best friends :)

I leave you with a pic of my cutie pie at rest...

Cocco e Drilli

2009-01-11T22:11:00.002-05:00

First off, Happy 2009 to all my friends and family that read my blog. I appologize for the lack of posts but my life consists of nursing, changing and burping Simon - all on repeat - and sleeping a few hours at a time when I can.

When I am awake and online I have been looking for songs to sing to Simon and I came across this...my absolute FAVORITE Italian childrens song from 1974's Zecchino D'Oro competition. Seriously...you can find ANYTHING on the internet...isn't technology wonderful?!?!?. I had the 45 of this and played it constantly as a little kid...now I can sing it to my son and how awesome is the original footage from the show...seriously...cuteness is to follow. To those of you that do not speak Italian, this song is about 2 crocodiles Cocco and Drilli who are in love. One day a hunter captures Drilli (who is slower and cannot outrun the hunter) and wants to make her into a purse and a "beauty case." Cocco rallies all the other crocodiles to save his precious Drilli. Cocco is successful and he and his Drilli live happily ever after.

Enjoy

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T10:30:00.003-05:00

Our best Christmas present.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Christmas. May Santa bring you everything you asked for and then some!!!

Why am I not sleeping?

2008-12-17T05:22:00.003-05:00

Our little SPY

Finally Simon is asleep (it is 5:30am) and what am I doing? Blogging. Well at least I got 2 hours in tonight - not so bad. Getting used to working on brief spurts of sleep - which really is overrated - I just wish I did not love to sleep so much!

Spy had his 2 week appointment today (er yesterday at this point I guess) and all is well. He is weighing in at almost 10lbs which is great. Yesterday we had his frenulum (flap of skin under tongue) clipped and he seems to be feeding better which is awesome. I am hoping to eventually phase out the formula - my milk supply seems to be increasing fingers crossed! It is still hard...he eats often and so I find myself blocking things out into 2 hour increments...when you are trying to nap that is not the easiest...I hope to be able to pump some extra milk so Dan or my mom can feed him as well...or maybe I won't ween him totally from formula...we shall see.

OK, I really will try to sleep now...we shall see how successful I am!

2 am blogging

2008-12-10T02:17:00.005-05:00

Rooting for the Eagles on game day.

Finally Simon is asleep...for how long no one knows. In a measure of desperation I have brought the changing pad from the changing table into my room and he is asleep there - he will not sleep in his bassinet. Last night he slept for a few hours in his car seat - tonight no such luck. He LOVES his changing pad so I hope this does the trick...along with some Buena Vista Social Club.

I am hanging on by a thread. I love my little man so much and yet this 2-3 hour cycle of feed, pump, burp repeat has worn me out. I am not producing as much milk as he needs so we are supplementing. In the hopes that more milk will come in I am pumping several times a day as well as having him feed from me...talk about feeling like a milk cow!!! But I know it is in his best interests so in the end I suppose it is worth it for him to be as strong and healthy as possible.

On Monday we have to go to the doc to get his frenulum clipped...apparently the little flap of skin under his tongue is too tight and could be causing latching problems hence the lack of milk...so he is having the procedure. It breaks my heart to have to do this but if it will help him latch than so be it.

We also had our first illness...conjunctivitis...this week. Luckily we had a pedi appt the same day we noticed it so we got drops right away.

What an exhausting week. Life really does change when you have a baby...I have no idea how people go back to work after 6 weeks...I cannot imagine mentally being able to function at work after 6 weeks of sleep deprivation.

OK...seems like he is still sleeping which means I must sleep too...that next feeding is only a short hour away.

The new man in my life

2008-12-03T01:57:00.002-05:00

Introducing Simon Patrick Yeager.

Born Dec. 1 at 3:35pm. 9lbs 3 oz and 21 inches long. He may be the most beautiful little boy in the world. I am sleep deprived and sore but honestly I only pushed for 40 minutes...and I HIGHLY recommend an epidural...even though I was going to try and go naturally one night with horrible labor and back pains changed my mind completely. I salute all women who choose to not have one...you are brave and have super high pain thresholds. I on the other hand may very well have never recovered from that type of pain.

I will post a more detailed birth story when I am home...I promise to warn before you read in case you do not want to hear about it. Although as far as labors go it was pretty normal. I have to give a HUGE shout out to the L&D staff at Paoli Memorial Hospital as they have been AMAZING throughout my child birth experience.

OK, I have been awake for days with very little sleep...Simon is in the nursery until he gets hungry again so I need to try and rest. A bientot mes amies!!!

Last day

2008-11-30T12:33:00.003-05:00

So tonight we check into Labor and Delivery to have Baby Simon since he does not want to come out on his own. I am excited to meet our little one who has been baking for so long in my belly. I am also completely nervous about this whole birthing process. And while I understand that women have been giving birth for thousands of years it offers me no comfort to know that there is a good possibility that something the size of a grapefruit is going to squeeze itself out of a hole the size of a golf ball. YIKES.

Dan seems to be taking it in stride...tonight we leave the house as a couple and when we return we will be a threesome. We will have this little person who is half me and half Dan living with us for the next 2 decades. Again we are excited. Being able to see my precious niece Sofia blossom into an amazing toddler has us excited to watch Simon grow and change. I am also nervous about being the best parent I can be - an incredibly important job which I feel like I will never be ready for no matter how much I read and how hard I try.

On that note I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I promise to post pictures of our newest addition when he arrives...hopefully without much fuss...tomorrow!

Hero worship

2008-11-24T12:27:00.003-05:00

Last year I posted about my friend Lizzy who gave up her comfortable life in Washington DC to move to New Orleans and start the St. Bernard Project. She was interviewed by Anderson Cooper - you can see the video and read the original post here. I had no idea that she had been nominated for CNN's Hero of the Year award...not only was she nominated but SHE WON!!!!

I am so truly proud of her and all her accomplishments. The pre-taped telecast airs on CNN this Thursday (Thanksgiving) at 9 pm. I plan on watching - unless I am in labor of course.

It just goes to show that when you put your heart and soul into anything you can be successful!! And not monetarily successful but you can really change peoples lives one person at a time! Liz could have easily visited New Orleans and gone back to her life in DC but she didn't. She let that seed of inspiration grow into something meaningful and important and in the end so many people have benefited from her courage and perseverance.

To quote my favorite band..."She's gonna dream up the world she wants to live in, she's gonna dream out loud."

It makes me wish I was more like her.

Are you ready....

2008-11-18T16:15:00.002-05:00

for Twilight?!?!?!?!?

Le sigh...I definitely am. Hoping to sneek in a matinee on Monday...hopefully Simon will stay put long enough for me to see this. If not I am not sure if I will be able to wait until it comes out on DVD. I have one book left to read in the series...I am trying to get my paper for grad school finished before I allow myself to pick this up. Just in case Simon does come this week school work comes first...grrrrr.

So for those of you that have read the book...are you team Edward or team Jacob? Like there is even a question about who Bella belongs with (team Edward).

Belly - 38 weeks

2008-11-17T11:07:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Lisa for taking this beautiful picture of my belly...it actually looks normal and not like I am having triplets!

Rock a bye

2008-11-12T16:50:00.003-05:00

Well, 16 more days until my due date and we finally put the finishing touches on the nursery.

Yes, there is a cow theme...in my defense I figured it would be suitable for any future female children we will spawn.

My belly gets bigger and more uncomfortable. Today I noticed my first stretch marks...figures that I make it this far to get them only weeks from delivery!

Other than that things are going well. I am completely enthralled by the Twilight saga and have been reading the books non stop instead of doing work for Grad school. Sad and pathetic but true. I have been on modified bed rest for about 2 weeks now and reading has been my salvation...that and my DVR. I just cannot wait for Simon to be here so I can sleep on my belly again and at some point in the distant future get a semi-decent nights sleep!

On a different note...it is time for the African Well Fund annual ebay auction. Click here to see what goodies we have up for sale. 100% of proceeds go to clean water projects in Africa. I know that it is difficult during times of financial distress for people to donate money...charities tend to suffer around this time but take a gander and see if there is anything you might like...the holidays are right around the corner after all!

OK, I am off to bake some pizza crust with my Pampered Chef Pizza Dough kit. Hopefully I won't completely mess it up!

An important day for America!

2008-11-04T13:21:00.003-05:00

No matter who you vote for....please, please, please go out and cast your vote!!!!

Book talk

2008-10-12T11:25:00.002-04:00

I know I may seem a little biased but my niece really is the smarted baby ever.

Enjoy.

Bump watch

2008-10-05T14:15:00.001-04:00

I look like I swallowed a ______________. I will let you all finish this sentence.

Giggles!

2008-10-04T10:16:00.002-04:00

Congrats to my sister in law, Lisa, who celebrates 1 year of blogging today. You can check out her site here to see pics and an AWESOME video of Sofia giggling her heart out. I love this child so much...I cannot imagine what will happen when Simon arrives my heart might explode!!!

I am off to Babies R Us today with my mom..I cannot wait to see what goodies we come home with. The nursery is almost finished...we are waiting on the crib mattress and for Dan to paint a bookshelf and we can start putting it all together. In 5 weeks I will be at 37 weeks - which is considered full term even if I am actually due on Nov 28 so we are definitely in the home stretch now!!! Luckily for me my hospital room has free wifi so you may get an incoherent post while I am in labor cursing my husband for getting me in this situation to begin with...ha ha just kidding!!!

Ciao peeps!

We are family....

2008-09-29T22:46:00.004-04:00

....I got all my sisters with me.

I poached this from my SIL's Facebook page. Me and most of my sister-in-laws after seeing Mamma Mia in Philly this summer.

All of Dan's sisters are in this pic as well as some of the SIL's. There are a few missing - at least three if not more but it is so hard to keep track!!!

We had a blast at the show and it was great to get together - as you can imagine with a large number like this it is hard to get everyone together in one place.

Yay for family!!

Big foot

2008-09-20T11:43:00.002-04:00

I have been sick for the last 3 days...my adorable little snot monsters, a.k.a. students, managed to infect me with some virulent strain of the common cold so I have been in my PJ's for 3 days.

Yesterday afternoon I actually took a shower and got dressed because I needed to go to the mall and look for maternity panty hose and a new pair of shoes to wear to a wedding today. I am sad to report that I am now a size 9 shoe...formerly a size 8. I bought a cheep pair of patent leather ballet flats at Payless and then another not so pretty pair of black ballet flats (Clarks) at Marshalls. I am pretty sure neither of them will look good with my dress today but beggars cannot be choosers I guess. I mean I have to wear shoes - I cannot show up barefoot - as much as I would like too.

So my fear is that my feet will never be a size 8 ever again. If this is the case then I am going to have one hell of a shoe sale on Ebay...sigh...I mean it is really not fair that I only got to wear my Manolo turquoise patent leather pumps a few times. Or my fantastic Bestsey Johnson leopard print flats. Or any of my InBlu Italian sandals. How depressing.

The good news is that my feet seem to be just swollen - not necessarily longer - so maybe once Simon is here and the swelling goes down my feet will be healed. A girl can dream, yes?

My first Georgetown Tee

2008-09-16T20:32:00.008-04:00

As pics from my shower come pouring in I thought I would post some for those of you that could not make it.

The shower was this past Sunday at La Locanda. If I had to guess there were about 60+ people there. Needless to say Simon got a TON of presents. As usual I feel so blessed to have so many generous people in my life. My son is one lucky little guy.

It was so fun to see my friends from DC who were kind enough to roadtrip up for the occasion. It was also great to see my best friend from high school, Angela, whom I never get to see anymore as our lives get busier and busier.

My mom's friend Josephine pats my belly.

Piles and piles of gifts!

Handmade blanket from Zia Rosina.

Simon's first Georgetown Tee.

Sofia checks out the presents.

Mom and Dad to be!

All in all it was a great day! When we took all our presents home it was fun to look through again and see it all...Simon is going to be one well dressed baby that is for sure. It was great to spend time with Pat and Jen who came down from NY and then Marianne who was visiting from Gettysburg.

Dan has already put the stroller/travel system together as well as some other items...I still am not sure where we are going to put everything!!!

We have another appointment next week so I will update you with Simon's stats...we are in the home stretch people!!!!

Our little man

2008-09-11T19:01:00.004-04:00

So I went to the Doc today for the 28 week appt and was lucky enough to get another ultrasound. The tech let us see Simon on the 3D screen for a minute and this is what we saw

You have to use your imagination...it's kind of like that picture of the woman that if you look at it long enough it looks like a cat. I see a nose and eye and a mouth - his hand is in front of his face (as usual) so it was hard to get a clear shot. Anyway, he has supper chubby cheeks and weights 3.3lbs and measures 15 inches. I was in love before and now I am 100% super-dooper in love with my son. I cannot wait to meet him...11 more weeks!!!

Now I get to go to the Doc every two weeks - the perks of the 3rd trimester - and they will do another ultrasound in 4 weeks (so they say - this is a perk of being AMA (of advanced maternal age - ie 35). I am not complaining...the more I get to see my baby the better!!!

What an amazing thing to see on the 7th anniversary of the WTC and Pentagon attacks. To think on that day I was one of thousands fleeing Washington DC as the city evacuated. I had to find a different route home since my usual route took me by the Pentagon. The next morning when I left for work I stepped out my front door and could smell the Pentagon still burning from a few miles away. Such sadness and loss. 7 years later I feel proud that I am able to remember this day by celebrating life.

Has anyone seen...

2008-09-02T22:25:00.002-04:00

...my feet? I cannot seem to locate them. Where they once were are only stub like appendages. Lucky me I have 12 weeks to go.

Hats off to Labor Day!

2008-09-01T11:40:00.004-04:00

Has it been 2 weeks since my last post already? Sheesh where does the time go? I hope everyone is enjoying Labor Day...I know many are headed back to work/school/life tomorrow so I hope you enjoy this last day off.

I leave you with a new pic of my awesome niece...because she is the cutest.

Ciao!!!

Rocking and Rolling

2008-08-14T07:51:00.002-04:00

I actually got a whole 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep last night. I usually wake up 3 times a night to pee or re-adjust my position to alleviate my aching back. So I am up early enjoying some quiet time before Dan awakes, reading my blogs and having some coffee.

Simon is also awake and literally rolling around in my belly, kicking and punching. My belly looks like a popcorn popper - sporadically bulging out here and there. It is the strangest feeling this little person inside of me. I have a constant companion, one who loves to let me know he is here, especially when it sit or lie down.

My doctor says lots of activity is a sign of a healthy baby...I think it is also a sign of hyperactivity. If he is this active in utero I can ONLY imagine what he will be like once he is out. So much for uninterrupted sleep!!!

Sweet baby girl

2008-08-10T00:12:00.003-04:00

It has been a while since I posted a pic of my niece.

Isn't she such a big girl? Here she is in Italia on vacation this summer. Really she is the cutest baby girl ever. Me love.

Oooh Baby Baby

2008-08-07T17:52:00.011-04:00

I finished registering today and am quite pleased with all of my registry items. I have to admit I was NOT looking forward to this. Lately I have had a serious inability to make up my mind about anything so deciding on what to register for seemed like almost an impossible task especially in this day and age of completely unnecessary and superfluous baby items at our disposal. I mean do people really need a little purse for their pacifiers? Can't the passy just go in the diaper bag? This is only one of a million examples of stupid things which you can buy at Babies R Us and The Right Start.

Here are some of my favorite things I registered for at BRU:

The Carini Bambini diaper bag. This bag is sooooo cute and only $25!!! They have it in pink too. I suspect I will have more than one diaper bag...I want a Vera Bradley one too but I could not resist this one. I got a Diaper Dude for Dan as well...so he does not have to be embarassed carrying this one.

This humidifier will match the baby bedding. I mean seriously, how freaking cute can you get? For those of you that know my obsession with cows this will make perfect sense. I hope it works well because I will be sad if I have to return it!

Seeing as Simon will be arriving during football season it is only appropriate that he has some Eagles gear to help him cheer the team on when he watches the game with Daddy. It is really soft too.

We also registered at The Right Start which has some cool organic and more unique things than BRU. Here are my favs from Right Start:

I love this blanket. My friend Suzie has a similar one and it is great to spread on the grass or on the sand. We will definitely use it when we go to see Daddy play softball next spring.

I got the Mary Jane version of these socks for Sofia. I am so glad they make them for boys too. Although I will admit the girl ones are so much cuter.

Last but not least...I got this for Sofia also but I wanted my own copy. I also registered for the Bob Marley and Beatles versions as well. Sofia loves her Coldplay one and listens to it every night before bed. I wonder when she is older if she will have a subconscious narcoleptic reaction whenever she hears a Coldplay song. I guess we will have to wait and see. They also make Led Zeppelin and The Cure which I may buy later on at Amazon...I mean serious what a great gift for a music lover who is about to have a baby...why did I not think of this!!!

My shower is in Sept so I will keep you posted with more pics of the cute things I get. Yay!!!

What a Croc

2008-07-29T19:43:00.005-04:00

Ok, I finally broke down and bought a pair of Crocs. In my defense, they are flip flops, but they are still Crocs. Now I know why people are so smitten with them. These may be the most comfortable pair of flip flops on the planet. Behold the Croc Capri in Charcoal/Sea Foam:

My feet have never felt so happy - and trust me lately they have been hating me and all of my shoes...even my beautiful Italian In Blu shoes do not make my feet happy anymore. Sigh...I hope once Simon arrives that my feet will go back to normal and I can wear my shoes again. Until then I can only look at my beloved Italian shoes and wear my Crocs. At least my feet don't hurt anymore!

Big Belly

2008-07-28T14:34:00.002-04:00

My belly at 22 weeks...huge.

Here I am with my brother who just got home from Italy. Clearly I am huge...and I still have a long way to go. I am already having trouble sleeping because of the discomfort...what will happen in Nov?

The District of Crafts

2008-07-24T12:25:00.004-04:00

So one thing I miss about being in DC is the amazing range of the people that I came to know and call friends. Not that my friends in Philly are not fabulous, they are, but the DC crew, while diverse, was an exceptional group of people.

Case in point, Karen, whom I met through my ex-roommate Gina. Karen is the proud owner of Ipso Crafto an adorable craft store on Capitol Hill. I am sad to say that I have never been to this store since I just learned about it...but if I lived in DC I would definitely have signed up for sewing lessons ASAP. You can also book parties and such - what a great idea and a great way to introduce crafting to your kids.

Karen in front of her store.

Karen is essentially living out one of my many dreams...owning your own boutique. This is something that I have always wanted to do. Seeing as I have ZERO business sense and maybe even less fashion sense I never really got past the daydreaming stage. Although when I sold my house I did for a brief second think about purchasing a franchise of the Italian brand Calzedonia which sells bathing suits, socks and pantyhose. Check out their website - their Summer 08 collection is amazing...sigh. Then I realized how much work that would be and I know that starting a family would take priority so I went back to school for teaching instead.

So for those of you in DC and looking for fabric and thread, stop by and say hello to Karen. Then buy some pretty fabric and sew me and Baby Simon something nice...just kidding...ok not really :P

Tomorrow we are off to Altoona, PA for Dan's brother's wedding...I will try to remember my camera and post pics - I got an amazing dress for only $9.99 at Motherhood Maternity which I am excited to wear with my new Guess shoes (NOT flip flops for once). Have a good weekend everyone!

Math for Dummies

2008-07-19T22:02:00.003-04:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am taking a math class at Montgomery County Community College during Summer Session II. The class is a 100 level class for Freshmen. I am the second oldest student. There is another pregnant woman in the class but she looks about 10 years younger than me. Everyone else looks about 18 years old. One girl, the one who has "lost" her text and always shares with me is taking this class for the second time. A shocker since she is always blatantly text messaging while the professor is explaining things and then has no idea what is going on.

Why am I doing this, you may ask? Well, in order to teach in the glorious state of Pennsylvania you need to have taken 2 semesters of college level math at some point in your educational career.

Now most people that go to college take some sort of math or statistics or econ class. How did I get out of math you may ask? Well at Georgetown, as a language major, you can choose between math or science. A brilliant choice that I made wisely so that I would never have to deal with variables and equations again. Until I made a career change and decided to become a teacher.

Here is the dialogue between the Dean of the Graduate Program at Cabrini and myself during my admissions interview:

Dean: "So I was looking at your transcript and I don't see any math on here."
Me: "Well as a language major I did not have to take math. I could take science instead."
Dean: "I see. Well, you are going to have to fix that. You can't get your certification without 2 semesters of college math."
Me: "I don't understand, I am applying to the READING specialist program. What does that have to do with math?"
Dean: "Absolutely nothing. But even so it is the requirement in Pennsylvania."
Me: "Um, but I went to Georgetown. Doesn't that count for something?"
Dean: "No. It doesn't."

So now that I am almost finished the program and hoping to student teach in the fall of 2009 I need to get those math classes in.

Registering for the class was a trauma in itself. I faxed in the application/registration form and a nice lady from Montco Registration called me almost immediately to discuss why she could not register me. Apparently I had to take a placement test. I told her there was no way I would have "time" to come to Montco and take a placement test - what else could I do to register?

Registrar Lady: "Do you know what you scored on your Math SAT? Was it above a 550?"
Me: "Um, lady, I took my SAT's in 1990. It may have been above a 550 - it was a 1250 combined - but I am not sure about the math portion."
RL: "Well if you have an official copy of your scores you can fax them over. If not you can call the College Board and have them sent for a fee."
Me: "Fine give me their number."

Determined NOT to have to take a placement test that I would surely fail, I contacted the College Board. $70 later the girl on the other end...who may or may not have been born in 1990 assured me that my scores would arrive in a week. (BTW, I got a 590 on my math SAT - shocking really since my math skills in high school were borderline special needs).

So here I find myself home on a Sat night studying for my first math test in 17 years. The material is not so bad - basic Algebra and Linear Equations - but I am still nervous.

The moral of this post is...be careful when you take the easy way out...you never know when it will come back to haunt you.

Franks and Beans

2008-07-14T22:37:00.004-04:00

We had our ultrasound today.

It was very obvious that we are going to be parents of a bouncing baby boy!!!

Baby Simon at 20 weeks.

Here he is. I spared you the anatomy verification picture. Why embarrass him in utero. I have plenty of time to post embarrassing pics after he is born.

He was VERY active all throughout the ultrasound and was hanging out with his hands above his head. At one point he even made a "hang 10" sign with his fist. Then he preceded to yawn...maybe we were boring him? I am happy to report that he looks healthy and is growing on schedule. I cannot wait to meet him in November - our very own little Thanksgiving Turkey!!!

We have settled on the name Simon Patrick - not my first choice but Dan hated my other choices so we compromised....I get to name the next one no matter if it is a boy or a girl. We will call him Simone (pron. See mo neh) when he is Italy and Simon here...that way my Nonna will be able to pronounce his name.

Now to pick out the bedding...

Verdi Cries

2008-07-13T13:55:00.008-04:00

I finally finished my memoir for my writing class which ended Friday. I was unable to share it with the class on Friday so I think I will share it with you all here. On Friday I was fortunate enough to hear some of my classmates read their memoirs out loud. They were really well written one in particular made me cry. I was so thankful that my classmate trusted us enough to share some very dark moments in her life...I feel the more richer for having been a part of the community that got to share in her pain.

Anyway, I should be back to regular blogging this week - starting tomorrow with the results of our ultrasound.

Feel free to leave any feedback about my memoir in the comments section below.

It was the spring of 1990. It was official. I was a student of archeology. When my Latin teacher, Ms. Reidel had told me about the Summer Classics Program (SCP), I was a bit hesitant. I was only a Junior. Did I want to give up one night a week to schlep down to St. Joe’s University to take a night class for college credit? My schedule this spring was already a bit tight. Lacrosse, stage crew, Lit Mag and SAT prep left me with little time after school for much else.

“This is the first year that they are opening it up to girls,” she said. “There are only four spots and I want you to have one of them.” Then she mentioned the “on site” component. At the end of the semester the group would spend one week in Rome, two days on the island of Capri and five days in Sorrento.

Two weeks in Italy? Without my parents? With twenty guys from the Prep? During the World Cup? (Italy was hosting that year.) I looked at this opportunity with the practical eye of a 16 year old girl who attends a same sex school. Aside from our professor, I would be the only one on the trip that would speak Italian fluently. These twenty boys would NEED me. I saw myself surrounded by handsome young men, all vying for my attention as I helped them order a gelato or translated for them at a bar while we watched a soccer match. Italy was such a magical place there was no way that these boys would NOT fall in love with me. By the end of the trip I would have a boyfriend for sure. At the very least I would have my pick of them for a senior prom date. I told Ms. Reidel I was definitely in.

We arrived in Rome on a hot June day. By then, I had met the boys that I prematurely decided would escort me to the prom and realized that there were only a few acceptable candidates. My roommate was to be a girl from my high school named Eva. There were two other girls from my high school on the trip as well. My odds were looking good. On the plane I planned out the strategies that would have these “chosen” boys fawning over me by dinner the next day.

Then a funny thing happened. As soon as I set foot on Italian soil these potential escorts took a back seat to the magic of the Eternal City. I had visited Rome before with my family but never as a student of archeology. Our fearless leader, Dr. Bender, was a time wizard. With every lecture at every site we were drawn back into the past and soon we felt like we were actually living in the time of the Caesars.

If I had lived 2000 years ago would I have been a slave girl worth practically nothing and looked down upon by those I served? Perhaps I would have been the daughter of an aristocrat, married at age 12, mother of many children one of whom would become a senator. Dr. Bender gave us a truly special look into this timeless city. A place that would live on long after our footsteps and daydreams had passed through.

While our days were filled with time travel our nights were filled with soccer. Hosting the World Cup had transformed Rome that summer. Some of the games were even being played at the Stadio Olimpico right there in Rome. Azzurri fever was sweeping the city and we gladly let ourselves get caught up in the tidal wave.

Three days after my 17th birthday we visited the Capitoline Museums. It was late afternoon and the museums were already closed for the day. Dr. Bender, who by that time we had dubbed Caesar himself, had managed to find a way for us to visit the museums after hours.

The origins of these museums trace back to 1471 and Pope Sixtus IV who donated a bunch of valuable bronze statues to the people of Rome for exposition. Almost 600 years later the collection contains mostly pieces from Roman antiquity, possibly the largest collection in the world.

I had never been in a museum when it was closed. Without the tourists and general crowds the place was transformed and held almost a sacred quality. Our footsteps resonated through the ancient halls with nothing but statues and pieces of antiquity to muffle them. Dr. Bender explained statue after statue and again we were teleported back to a time even more ancient then the Caesars.

We were introduced to Romulus and Remus, twin brothers who were abandoned then taken in by a she-wolf who fed them and kept them alive. Romulus would later found the city of Rome. We had studied this ancient bronze back in our classroom at St. Joe’s. Now we were standing in front of it looking it at with our own eyes, connecting with a part of history that was older than time itself. As had already happened several times since arriving in Rome, I was overcome with emotion and an incredible sense of how immensely lucky I was to be standing here in this moment creating my own memories and my own history.

As Dr. Bender led us back out to the main entrance we passed a lone security guard huddled around a black and white TV set. Italy was playing Team USA that night at the Stadio Olimpico here in Rome. No wonder Dr. Bender had been given permission to let us in the museum that night. No one would be out on the streets. Every single person in Rome would be at the stadium, which holds 80,000 people or glued to a TV set or in one of the many piazzas that was showing the game on huge screens set up for the occasion. Rome’s antiquities were in no danger of being compromised that night. Our guard was so caught up in the game he did not even realize that we had left the building.

The outside space in between the museums is called the Campidoglio and was designed by Michelangelo himself. Dr. Bender led the group to the top of the courtyard. As we looked over the railing the Roman Forum sprawled out before us. It was dusk and the soft purple light made the ancient ruins look enchanted. We were all silenced by this magic and as we looked over the timeless columns and stones, we allowed what Dr. Bender had been telling us all week to just sink in.

Suddenly a collective cry arose from across the city of Rome. It started out softly but immediately grew into a loud and joyful noise. Startled my classmates looked at each other. I smiled. What else could possibly wake the Eternal City from its slumber?

“Gooooooooaaaaaaaallllllll” screamed the security guard running out the door of the museum and in our direction. We were the only ones around for him to share his excitement with. It did not hurt that Italy had scored against Team USA a fact that I am sure was not lost on the security guard that had the bad luck of having to baby sit a bunch of American students on the night of a world cup game.

Knowing the chaos that would ensue if Italy won the game, Dr. Bender wisely corralled us back to the hotel with strict instructions not to wander outside. Luckily for me our room faced the Via della Conciliazione, a huge main street in Rome which leads to St Peter’s Basilica. I invited a bunch of the guys back to our room and from our open window my classmates and I were able to celebrate Italy’s victory from a safe distance. It had been an incredible few days and in the morning we would be leaving for Campania where the next phase of our trip would begin.

When all was said and done I was escorted to my prom by one of my SCP classmates. The trip had not produced the boyfriend I had so desperately wanted. Instead it gave me the gift of a best friend, Ed, who in the end was gracious enough to escort me to my senior prom when no other prospects were in sight. Ed and I lost touch after college but I will always fondly remember those two weeks in Italy where as Natalie Merchant in her song Verdi Cries so wisely sang “All is memory, taken home with me.”

Eva and Paola, Rome, Coloseum, June 11, 1990

Stalled

2008-07-06T16:09:00.003-04:00

I deeply apologize for the lack of posts. Last Monday I started up with grad school again and this one particular class "The Teaching of Writing" while enjoyable is grueling. Since we meet every day for 2 weeks we have a semesters worth of reading and writing to do in 14 days. It is not easy, especially when you struggle to keep your eyes open during the readings. I had to take a break and blog so that I would not fall asleep.

We went out and bought a scanner/copier/printer today so on July 14 when we have our next ultrasound we will be able to share a picture of our little one with the world. I really hope that baby is in the right position to see the gender...I don't know if I can wait until Nov to find out. The baby has started moving around now and I can feel it. It is such an odd sensation, like little hiccups or flutters in your belly. I didn't even realize that it was the baby moving until it started happening every day.

I have officially become and emotional mess as well. We had our lit circle in class on Thurs. For those those not in the know, a Lit Circle is like a well organized "book club" for students. Each student is assigned a role (Discussion Director, Word Wizard, Illustrator, etc) and then the book is discussed with each person contributing their share. The book we discussed was Miracle's Boys by Jacqueline Woodson. It is a pretty emotional book and I cried like a baby while reading it. I also burst into tears during the lit circle much to the dismay of my fellow lit circle members. It is awful how little it takes to set me off and I never know when it is going to happen. I suspect this is why I have been a recluse these past couple of weeks, not leaving the house and watching far too much television.

Ok, I guess I should get back to reading. I have to start working on my memoir as well which is due on Friday. Tomorrow night I also start my Math class at Montgomery County Comm College...don't even get me started...there will be a huge post on the evils of math soon enough.

A dopo.

Mentally still on vacation

2008-06-19T19:09:00.008-04:00

Dan and I arrived back from Italia safe and sound on Saturday. The trip was great - aside from the horrific swelling of my feet which made me look like Clubfoot Sally. Thankfully they have returned to their normal size.

We started our trip on the Amalfi coast...it is such a beautiful place I highly recommend stopping there if you are every in Italy. We stayed at the Grand Hotel Excelsior a beautiful hotel perched on the cliffs above Amalfi.

The view from our hotel room.

I posted a review of the hotel with more pictures on Trip Advisor. You can read all about it here.

The weather was ok not great but luckily on the day we went to Capri the weather was magnificent. We took a small boat there with 4 other couples. We represented USA, England, Ireland, France and Germany and we had a blast together. The boat circled the island and then let us off in Marina Piccola so that we could wander the island for 5 hours.

I Faraglioni

The view of Marina Piccola from the town of Capri.

For those of you who have never been, Capri is home to hundreds of high end boutiques rivaling those of New York and Rodeo Drive. Dan and I walked around a bit and ogled in clothes in the windows - my favorite was the display at Roberto Cavalli - I did not take a picture as I did not want to seem too tacky...yet I digress.

The beach where we waited for our boat to pick us up.

It was a great day. I was so tired I even took a nap on the way back, lulled by the waves of the sea and the sun beating down on me. I was in heaven.

The next day we rented a car and drove to my mom's house in Abruzzo. More to follow....

SaTC Mania

2008-05-30T17:26:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posting. We leave for Italy tomorrow and it has been a hectic last few weeks. I do have a new sonogram pic but I do not have a scanner (something that will be remedied upon our return) so I cannot post the pic. I went for my sequential screening on Wed and little baby Y would NOT cooperate for the sonogram tech or the doc. S/he was all snuggled up - not wanting to turn her/his head in the right position so they could check his/her neck (for Downs Syndrome). They were able to get a picture to work with eventually. The baby looked so cute - s/he was waving at one point and I could see him/her making sucking motions with his/her mouth. I will have my next sonogram in July when we will be able to see if it is a boy or a girl. I promise to post when we know.

Today I went to see the 12:30 pm showing of Sex and the City. I went by myself since all my fantastic SaTC-like friends are in DC. I was surprised to see that the theater was almost full. There was only 1 man there (with his wife) and all the rest were groups of women of all ages. Which really proves that this show touched all sorts of women everywhere. Seeing as these women where there in the middle of the day they chose to see this movie and I was really surprised by the age range of the women. Anyway, enough about the demographics.

Words cannot describe how great this movie is. If you are a SaTC fan, you will love this movie. It was perfect. I cried, I laughed, I envied the fashion...it was like a whole season in one movie. Truly perfect. I will not give anything away - but if you like me found yourself identifying on a weekly basis with Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samatha then you will be so satisfied with this movie. OK, now go and see it.

Hockey Fans Are Not Like Other Fans

2008-05-12T21:07:00.003-04:00

We have been watching a lot of hockey in our household, what with the Flyers battling the Penguins for the Conference Championship and all. The Flyers are down 2 games but we have high hopes despite 2 defensemen out already that they can come out on top.

I usually read during the game and occasionally pay attention to the commercials. This one has to be my favorite, hands down. I can only imagine my hockey player/fan husband when our baby is born.

For your viewing pleasure

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T19:47:00.003-04:00

My wonderful husband was kind enough to buy a mother's day present for me from our future baby. Of course it made me cry - what doesn't these days - and made me love him even more.

He is going to be such a great dad!!!

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms and moms-to-be!!!! You deserve it!

Stationary addict

2008-05-09T22:07:00.003-04:00

I love note cards. I mean it. I have a whole draw devoted to fun and cute note cards that I have picked up over the years - my latest find - $1.00 packs of 10 note cards with fruit on them from Michael's Arts and Crafts.

This year I received the cutest note cards from one of my students for Christmas. They were pink and green with bubbles and my name (my MARRIED name - in print for the first time) printed on the front. I fell in love even more so when I realized that they came from Kramer Drive a stationary company owned by another one of my student's mom's. The cards were beautiful and I am sad to say I have used them all already.

Check out Kramer Drive and see for yourself...the baby announcements are especially precious...I cannot wait to pick one out for my little peanut when s/he arrives.

Poaching

2008-05-07T17:55:00.003-04:00

I know I keep stealing things from my SIL blog but how freaking cute is this video of Sofia on a swing?

My brother tries to take her out and she has a mini-fit...but then is so adorable as she loses herself in the swinging!!! Anth, what are you going to do when she gets older?

I am ready for my close up

2008-05-06T15:09:00.002-04:00

Sigh...it's so hard with all the paps around...a girl can't even go our for a walk without being recognised!

New wheels, Hawaiian Food and Hairspray

2008-05-04T12:12:00.003-04:00

We have had a busy weekend. Dan purchased a new car on Friday. Behold our new 2008 Honda Accord

It is a pretty sweet car. Dan has never had a new car before and he is so pleased with it's effecient gas milage and sleek look. RIP Dodge Dakota Truck...you will be missed (a little).

Last night we had dinner downtown at Roy's. Dinner was so good - despite the fact that I cannot have alcohol or sushi or certain types of fish. Luckily they had a pretty extensive selection of fish so I did have some yummy Mahi Mahi (which I can have once a month) and Dan had a delicious Butterfish. In short dinner was spectacular.

After dinner we went to see Hairspray at the Academy of Music. I think this may have been one of the best musicals I have seen - and I have seen a ton of musicals in NYC, Philadelphia and DC. The cast was magnificent - really spirited and having a great time. The whole night was so much fun!!!

I am still getting used to the whole pregnancy thing. I have always wanted to be a mom and cannot wait to meet my little one. At the same time I am a bit freaked out that there is an actual person growing inside of me. It is very surreal and I feel a bit like an alien or an incubator - always having to watch what I eat or drink so as not to harm the little person inside of me. It is so much harder than being on a diet. If you slip up on a diet the only person you are hurting is yourself. If I slip up now I could potentially hurt our baby. Pyschologically that is really a difficult thing to deal with. I am almost afraid to eat...almost.

Anyway, we are off to a baptism and then I get to baby sit beautiful Sofia...yeah!!! Lates!

It's Official

2008-04-27T18:02:00.003-04:00

I've got a bun in the oven. Not just any bun but a Thanksgiving bun. I am due November 28th, 2008. We are excited. I am exhausted but feeling good. I will post sonogram pics when we are farther along since now all you can see is a little blob. In fact we have named our embryo Blobbie. Just until we can come up with something better.

Now that's Smart

2008-04-20T21:29:00.002-04:00

My Dad got a new car...

He loves it and as you can see likes to pose for pictures such as the one above. It's like driving a shoebox but it gets 40 miles to the gallon!!! For more info on how you too can drive your own Smart click here.

Black is the new Black

2008-04-17T22:27:00.003-04:00

So in a fit of spontaneity I dyed my hair black yesterday. I really love it. People have been taken aback at first but then when they look at my face they see how well it goes with my skin tone and eye color they decide they like it. Except for my husband who hates it. Oh well, you can't win them all. Dan and I are going to be godparents this weekend to little Hannah so I will have pics of my new color soon. It has been so long since my hair has been this dark...we shall see now if blonds really had more fun...somehow I don't think so!

Shake your booty

2008-04-16T23:13:00.002-04:00

Sofia style!!

Clearly my niece, who is a lingustic genius, loves to dance. I love that she is fluent in Italian...will my little bean be as smart?

Seasons of Love

2008-04-06T16:34:00.002-04:00

Yesterday my mom and I took the bus to NYC to catch the matinee of RENT at the Nederlander Theater. Needless to say it was amazing!!! My mom didn't like it so much but I think that is because of the "rock and roll" music...considering we saw the opera Norma the night before in Philadelphia I don't blame her...it's just not her thing.

While we were in NYC (for all of 7 hours) we happened upon people waiting in line to try out for the next season of Project Runway!!! To know that Tim Gunn was in such close proximity to me was really just toooooooo much!!! Alas I did not have my camera with me so no photos were taken...there were some people with their models, some with forms with their 3 outfits already on them, others with just their portfolios and clothes on a hanger...it was awesome. I made my mom walk by them twice so I could get a glimpse!!!

The weather here in Philly is just awful. Damp and dreary...where the heck is SPRING!!! Only 3 weeks left of class and I am off until July - I am very excited for the Academic break!!!

Ok, we are meeting friends at La Locanda for dinner so I have to run...try to imagine the spring flowers for me!!!

Happy B-day Princess Sofia!

2008-03-30T19:57:00.007-04:00

Yesterday was our beautiful Princess Sofia's 1st birthday! I cannot believe that a year has gone by since Sofia burst forth screaming her beautiful little lungs out while the members of our family stood outside the looking glass crying like fools because she was finally here.

The first picture of our little princess.

I'm 1 and I'm fierce y'all.

Sofia had a huge party with lots of kids and adults and yummy food and presents. She had a monkey cake and a zoo themed cake as well.

Get your own cake biatch, this one is all mine.

It was a fun day...to read more about it and see more pics head over to La Famiglia Palumbi.

I must go and rest as I was in DC today in support of my friend Jen and the 2008 Scope it Out Walk for Colon Cancer. I also have a cold which is making me miserable.

Later peeps.

In the name of Peeps

2008-03-22T10:34:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter to all of you that celebrate the holiday!

In honor of this special day I give you the second annual Washington Post Peep show competition.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2008/03/21/GA2008032101983.html?sid=ST200803210

I highly suggest you look at slide #4.

Have a great holiday!

No more salt

2008-03-21T10:14:00.004-04:00

Not sure if I blogged about this before but I was diagnosed with high blood pressure in Nov. One of the requirements to make sure that I don't have a stroke in the middle of the night is No More Salt. Usually this would be ok. I don't really ADD salt to my foods but there are certain foods that I love that have tons of salt. Capers, pickles, olives and SALSA!!!! Well the salsa if it is homemade not so much but those darn chips are what makes it off limits. And lets face it...you can't have salsa without chips. You also cannot just have a few chips and salsa - for those of you that know me well know that I am a salsa HOG. When I used to go to Lauriol Plaza for lunch in DC I would go through at least 3 bowls of salsa BEFORE we even got our meal.

So I could not help but laugh hysterically when I saw this cartoon. It sooooo defines me and my salsa obsession which I miss dearly.

Thanks to Cyanide and Happiness for the hysterical cartoon.

A few more weeks...

2008-03-14T22:38:00.002-04:00

....until I participate in the Colon Cancer Walk in DC.

Click here to read more or to make a donation...I am at 58% of my goal (which is $500).

Click here to read about my amazing friend Jen who at 30 was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer.

Thanks to all who have already donated!!!

Baby photos

2008-03-10T22:16:00.006-04:00

My dad turned 68 this week so we had a little party for him and of course Sofia was the center of attention as well she should be since she is so stinkin' cute.

Looking out the window.

With Nonno Mario

Big Birthday Balloon!

We had a good party with lots of good food and cake thanks to my mom. Sofia even got to practice blowing out the candles which will come in handy in a few weeks when she turns 1 - wee!!

In completely unrelated news, the picture below I happened across while cleaning out and re-arranging my old e-mails.

Baby Paola circa Dec 1973

I think Sofia looks like her aunt. Ok maybe not 100% but at the very least she has my hair and eyes. Notice the stylish dress and rubber ball that the people at Sears let me pose with during the shoot. Good times.

OK, I need to get some sleep tomorrow we are decorating shamrocks with glitter glue pens...I need my rest.

Lates.