A long week-end in review...

It was kind of nice, we didn't have too much on our schedule for the week-end, so I thought "We're going to get so much done around the house!". Why is it that when you have spare time to get things done you seem to procrastinate and not get those things done?

Saturday morning we got up and got ready for Jack's baptism. I have to say I haven't had so much fun at a baptism ever! Maybe it was the yummy bloody marys or the fabulous food! I have to get the recipe for that apple tart! There were quite a few knitters and bloggers on hand. Melanie, Pam, Parley, and Potusol were all on hand. It was quite funny because I hadn't met Potusol in person and I asked Brooke if that was Potusol sitting next to Parley and I was pleased to put a face to a blog.



Brooke and Jack at the church.

Sunday we had a few of the rugby boys + Pam L., Melanie, and Pam J. over for swimming and a few beers. Jonny's teammate Dilly showed up at our doorstep at noon, about 4 hours early, so we made him into do a vacuum the playroom, go grocery shopping with me and...



take care of Angus for a while. He's a natural!



Andy and Jonny Bridwell with Angus. Ladies, these boys are still single!



Gemma going for a dip in the hot tub!



Auntie Pam and Gemma!

On Sunday we went over to our neighbors house for a BBQ. They have a diving pool and Gemma had the time of her life jumping of the diving board about 100 times!



I give this one a 10!



Gemma's swimming is really coming along. She hasn't been taking lessons since March, but I almost think she has improved. Here she is doing her "airplane".

The other cool thing about hanging out with our neighbors was that they have a friend from Scotland that they wanted Jonny to meet. It was great to see Jonny talking to this guy, although sometimes it was hard to understand what they were saying. They both had so much in common, they were both Rangers and Liverpool fans, they are in the same line of work and they also have the same passion of eventually having a home back in the UK and a place in the US.

Margaritaville

I had a fantastic day yesterday. One that all stay-at-home moms deserve from time to time. My wonderful neighbor Ann and I have been taking turns once a week watching each other's children and it is working out fabulous!!! (I am going to be so sad when they leave mid-June for a month to get out of the heat!) Yesterday morning I dropped the kids off and went to knitting at Coffee Rush for a couple hours and did about an hour of retail therapy. It was so relaxing and I really feel I was doing something good for myself as well as my kids.

Last night I also decided that I needed a night out with my good friend Pam. I had been begging her to take me to Kona Grill from margaritas since I gave birth to Angus. Finally she gave in and we went for a few much needed drinks. I would have to say that I usually like my margaritas on the rocks with salt on the rim, but Kona Grill has the BEST blended margarita I have ever tasted. I got the strawberry and it is so finely blended you can't even feel the ice particles on your tongue. Unfortunately because they taste so good, they go down way too easy and I had to pace myself. We don't have any good stories from last night, but we did have a good time.

An ode to my favorite drink...Margaritas!!!

MARGARITAVILLE by Jimmy Buffett

Nibblin' on sponge cake,watchin' the sun bake;
All of those tourists covered with oil.
Strummin' my six string on my front porch swing.
Smell those shrimp--They're beginnin' to boil.

Wasted away again in Margaritaville,
Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt.
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame,
But I know it's nobody's fault.

Don't know the reason,
Stayed here all season
With nothing to show but this brand new tattoo.
But it's a real beauty,
A Mexican cutie,
how it got here I haven't a clue.

Wasted away again in Margaritaville,
Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt.
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame,
Now I think,-- hell it could be my fault.

I blew out my flip flop,
Stepped on a pop top;
Cut my heel, had to cruise on back home.
But there's booze in the blender,
And soon it will render
That frozen concoction that helps me hang on.

Wasted away again in Margaritaville
Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt.
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame,
But I know, it's my own damn fault.
Yes, and some people claim that there's a woman to blame,
And I know it's my own damn fault.

I should be stress-free for a while!

Tomorrow we are off to Jack's baptism and to a Memorial Day party. I hope everyone has a safe, stress-free, healthy (for all you sickos out there!), and fun Memorial Day week-end!

Bo Bice was robbed!!!

I was so upset by the result of American Idol this evening. Bo Bice, who in my opinion had the most incredible voice in the history of American Idol, lost to Carrie Underwood. Deep down I knew America would go for the more wholesome girl with beautiful blonde hair, but I had hoped that the man with the long hair and cool personality would pull through in the end. I do think Carrie was the best of the females on AI4, but I only thought she was good at one genre, Country music. I do have an appreciation of Country music and I can even kick up my heels and do a little country swingin', but should the next American Idol be a Country singer? I guess that question was answered tonight. On the bright side they both get a record deal (plus brand new Mustang convertibles!) and I will definitely be first in line to buy Bo Bice's debut album.

I would love to hear you opinion on the new American Idol. Do you think Carrie deserved it or was Bo you favorite too?

I have been tagged...

My friend Julie, from Mac Attack has tagged me and asked me to write a list of 10 things I have never done, so here it goes....

10. I have never been to New York City, Washington D.C. or Chicago. (I do plan on visiting them one day with the kiddos.)
9. I have never met my biological father nor do I want to.
8. I have never been to the opera.
7. I have never watched "Desperate Housewives".
6. I have never had a bikini wax.
5. I have never been able to grow out my fingernails. (I am a horrible nail biter!)
4. I have never wanted to sky dive, hang glide, or anything else that would have me falling or floating in the sky.
3. I have never been a size 2 or a size 12 for that matter. (I am happy to say that I am closer to a size 2 than I am to a size 12.)
2. I have never done cocaine, heroin, mushrooms, or meth and I will never do them.
1. I have never seen "Ghostbusters"! (I don't really want to see Ghostbusters, but everyone cannot believe I haven't seen it! Am I missing something???)

I am now going to tag 3 friends: Pam, Melanie, and Eva.

I also have to mention that Gemma, Angus and I met our friends Marne, Reece and Elizabeth and Katherine, Lincoln, and Nolan at Espee Park in Chandler for a playdate. If you haven't been to Espee Park you are missing out. It is a great park with a wonderful splash pad for the kids to play. It is located on Knox and Arizona Ave. for you AZ residents. Take your kids there and enjoy!

Tonight I had the wonderful experience of being behind the counter at Cold Stone Creamery for our MOMS Club fundraiser. I have to say it was a ton of fun and I got a great bicep work-out scooping and mixing ice cream. I believe a career at Cold Stone would involve a person who has much self control because I kept wanting to lick my fingers! I finished off the night making myself a Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream with extra strawberries!

Tomorrow we are checking out a new splash pad in Chandler. I will report on it tomorrow.

Must See Now on DVD...

I forgot to mention that Sunday night Jonny and I watched the movie "Phantom of the Opera" and I have to say it was fabulous! I highly recommend it and I have to see the actual opera because I couldn't believe how beautiful the music was. Maybe I will get to see it over our vacation in August, hint, hint.

A Week-End in Review

Gemma painting at school.

Friday started with Gemma's last day of Mommy and Me preschool. Although I thought her experience was important, I was so happy to see it end. I had been bringing Angus with us for half the year and it is very challenging to wear a 20lb baby for 2 hours. She had a fun day as they had water on the playground for the kids to play in and popsicles for snacks. Gemma will have 3 weeks off before she returns to the summer program which lasts 4 weeks in June every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9-12:30pm.



Gemma playing in the sprinkler at school.

Friday night I hosted Book Club at my house. We had a great turn out! There were about 12 of us and a couple new faces. I had chosen the book "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger. I liked the book, but was hoping for a different ending. We discussed the book a little, but everyone was more interested in drinking wine and my friend's love life.

For the past 3 book clubs we have been listening to my friend's love life woes and we have all been her therapist. She had been dating a younger man (by 11 years) for about a year and had started to seeing another man at the same time. She was told at the last meeting to make a decision by the next book club and sure enough they have split up. I was very happy for her and her decision and look forward to new adventures in her love life!

Saturday morning I hosted coffee klatch at my house. We had a nice time visiting and everyone brought their kids. Later that afternoon we brought the kids to the gym because I was in much need of a work-out and Jonny wanted to take Gemma swimming. After the gym we took Gemma to the birthday party of one of her playgroup friends at the Little Gym. I was pretty impressed with the place that had all gymnastic equipment.

Sunday Pam J. and Kelly S. and I had breakfast with an old friend Jen W. Jen and her husband Pat are getting ready to move back to Illinois. We are very sad to see her go and I don't think she is looking forward to it either. Some people just love the AZ and Jen is one of those people. Unfortunately her hubby hasn't enjoyed AZ as much and so they have made the decision to move closer to their families. We wish them both the best of luck and we will miss them!

Sunday afternoon we had Marion, husband Daniel, and 3 boys over for swimming and a BBQ. We had a nice evening and Jonny made his rotisserie chicken again and it was fantastic!

Water safety

Yesterday we had guest speakers at our MOMS Club monthly social. They were from SwimKids, where Gemma used to take her swimming lessons and they were there to discuss water safety. It was very informative and I thought it was definitely something to pass along to others especially those with small children.

DROWNING PREVENTION TIPS
Swimming pools should always be happy places. Unfortunately, each year thousands of American families confront water related tragedies. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission conducted hearings in July 2004 in Florida and Arizona on this national dilemma. “Swimkids USA and other experts in all areas of pool safety testified and participated in a panel discussion in an effort to develop guidelines for pool barriers, swim instruction and early response. After reviewing a great deal of data on drowning and early childhood behaviors the CPSC adopted specific safety recommendations. It was purported, no one single safety
intervention is child proof, but the parent needs to provide layers of protection for a child who strays from supervision. Barriers such as fences, alarms, covers and swim instruction give parents additional time to locate a child before the unexpected becomes a terrible reality”.
Here are some of their recommendations:

• Barriers are not child proof, but they provide layers of protection for a child
who strays from supervision.
• Barriers give parents additional time to locate a child before the unexpected
becomes a reality.

FENCES & GATES
• Install a fence or wall completely around the pool. If house is part of the
barrier, the doors leading from the house to the pool should be protected
with an alarm.
• The fence or wall should be at least 4 feet high. Vertical fence slates should
be less than 4 inches apart.
• Fence gates should be self-closing and self-latching. The latch should be well
out of a child’s reach.

DOOR ALARMS
• If the house forms one side of the barrier then doors leading from the house
to the pool should be protected with alarms that produce an audible sound
when a door is unexpectedly opened.

SAFETY COVERS
• A safety cover should withstand the weight of two adults and a child to allow
a rescue should an individual fall onto the cover. A way should be provided
for quick removal of water from a solid cover.

ABOVE-GROUND POOLS
• Steps and ladders leading from the ground to the pool should be secured and
locked or removed when not in use.

Revisions to my blog and my face????

I am very happy to say I finally took the time to make my blog look a little more attractive. I have changed the template, added a new link and deleted some old ones, added "Blogs I Read" and finally added the stat counter. A lot of blogger friends of mine have added this stat counter so you can see who is looking at your blog. I am really looking forward to seeing who is reading my blog. I have already gotten hits from Portugal and Mexico.

Speaking of making things more attractive. Recently it has come to my attention that I may need to start wearing a little make up. It wasn't just one comment, but a few comments over the past year that has made me take notice. I HONESTLY want to know your opinion on this. I have not been one to wear make-up. I guess you could even go as far as to say I know very little about applying make-up. Please let me know what you think. Do I need a little blush or do I need eye make-up or is a whole face lift in order (jk)? I won't know if you don't tell me.

Rugby boys night in

Saturday afternoon we went to a graduation party for our friend Joe Pemberton who just completed his MBA from ASU. Joe had a little party at his house and a few of our friends loaded up the kids and went to help Joe celebrate. It was a nice day and the kids had a great time. While we were there Jonny received a phone call from one of our rugby friends Johnny Bridwell, who you have seen on my blog on previous post.



Angus and Gemma in a Costco cart

Johnny is a great kid and a great catch for a young lady who would be willing to tame this boy. He is going to school to become an Electrician, he teaches Sunday School, and best of all he plays rugby well. Any takers? Johnny is originally from the west valley where his parents and siblings still live, Johnny on the other hand walks to the beat of a different drum, he lives in his Toyota truck. Not because he is unemployed or has no money, just because he can. Last night, Johnny, his brother Andy, Dilly and (Aussie) Mark came over to keep Jonny company while I took Gemma over to watch my neighbors kids.

Of course at 11:30 pm when I returned from the neighbors the boys were on the patio still drinking. I sat down and continued to be entertained until 2 am!




Johnny decided that tonight he wouldn't sleep in his truck, but instead he would sleep in our grass.

WELCOME BABY AIDAN!!!

Baby Aidan

First of all I am a horrible sister. With all the anniversary and birthday stuff going on at our place, I forgot to mention that my sister Becky had a healthly baby boy on May 6th (our 10th wedding anniversary)!!! We are very excited for Becky, her husband, Jared, and son Isaac! We are hoping to make a trip sometime in July to see Aidan, and hopefully my brother Mark's new baby boy that should be born in early July.



Big brother Isaac with baby Aidan.

RIP Uncle Curt

My dad's oldest brother Curtis, 66, past away Thursday. He lived in Fairmont, Minnesota with his wife. He is survived by his mother (my grandmother) Rosella, 2 brothers (my dad and Uncle Alan), 6 children, and 12 and grandchildren.

I know this is a real tough time for my Aunt Jerry, Grandma, Dad, Uncle Alan and cousins. I just want you all to know that we are thinking of you hear in Arizona.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DADDY!!!

The family out for Jonny's birthday dinner.

We have had a whirlwind last few days! We spent our anniversary night out at Fleming's and spent Mother's Day at the Zoo and Soul in the Hole. We really had a nice week-end of celebrating.

Last night we spent the Jonny's birthday at Tsunami. It is a great little Japanese restaurant with fabulous sushi! Jonny ate more sushi than I have ever seen him eat while Gemma and I enjoyed the teppan table entertainment. For Jonny's birthday the kids got Jonny an Ireland Rugby t-shirt while I bought him a scrum cap. What is a scrum cap you ask? See Angus sporting his daddy's cap.





The future of Camelback Rugby.

HAPPY 10TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY TO US!

OK, here is our wedding photograph! Yes! Jonny did have hair at one time!

Today is Jonny and my 10th Wedding Anniversary! I received a beautiful card from my beloved this morning, which brought tears to my eyes! I hope that everyone can experience the kind of love that I have been able to experience with Jonny.

Schools, Schooling, etc.

I think I am starting to blog like my good friend Brooke . I believe I may becoming a controversial blogger. I mentioned on my blog yesterday about a conversation that went on at the baby shower Wednesday night about public school vs. Private school. I just want everyone to know, I wasn't offended or upset by the conversation. I was just bothered that I couldn't give my real opinion because I could see that the conversation would have gotten heated and would have ruined the baby shower. That is why I put my opinion down on my blog, to get it off my chest.

I also got a question from my dear friend Maura in TN asking "What do you think of home schooling?" This is a question that I have been asked frequently in my last few years. I have been asked by family, who home school their kids, a woman in our knitting group, who also home schooled her kids, and now my friend Maura. What do you think of home schooling????? Here is my answer. I think that it just depends on the child. I personally do not think it would be a good thing for Gemma and Angus. I am an ultra-social person and I can tell from Gemma's personality she is too. She loves people and needs to be surrounded by them frequently. If I home schooled I think I would be taking her away from that. I know there are home school groups in which you interact with other home schooled kids, but to me it is just not the same. I also want my children to be able to function in society. I am not saying that home schooled children cannot, I just think it might be more difficult for home schooled children to do so. As I said in my previous post, how well a child does in public or private school is really up to the parent. I think home schooling might just be a little too much parent. The other reason I don't like the concept of home schooling is because I see how curriculums have grown over the years and the opportunities that children have these days at public school are tremendous. I don't think that children would have the same opportunities at being home schooled. So Maura, those are my reasons.

Babies, babies, babies!

Annette H., Tracy, Jill and me.



The attendees!

Last night Annette H. and Tracy W. (who is an avid reader of berly's blog) threw a shower for Tracy's sister Jill. It was at the pottery place Mind Over Splatter in downtown Chandler. The shower was a surprise and Jill was definitely surprised. We were able to bring in food, cake, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks for the pregos.



The cake by In Pockets.



Jill with her Mom Kathy from Oregon.



Jill with our friend Kelly who is due 5 days before Jill.

I have to say I had a wonderful time making a switch plate for Gemma's bedroom and I definitely would like to go again sometime soon.

I do have to comment on one of the conversations last night. I have strong feelings about something that was said last night, but I didn't really want to get into at a baby shower. A few people started talking about private school vs. public school. This has been something that I have been thinking about since Gemma was born. I believe both schools have their benefits. I also believe that I will be sending my children to public school. The reason that we are going to do this is that we believe it isn't the teachers and schools sole responsibility to educate our children. I believe that it is our responsibility. I look back at the schooling that I received in elementary and high school and yes, it could have been better, but my parents could have been more involved with my education and I could have been more interested. It wasn't until I moved to Minneapolis did I take interested in other things besides TV and sports. I because more politically aware + my interest in music intensified. It definitely helps to be in a larger city where there are more opportunities both academically and culturally. Being married to Jonny has also opened a whole new world to me, literally. He has transformed me into a curious person about things such as history, geography (although I was always pretty good at that), politics, and general awareness of international cultures and to respect them. I am no longer scared to ask questions and I think this has made me a more educated person. We will definitely try our 'being involved' method with our kids and the public school in our city and see how it goes. No offense to the private school friends I have out there. Different schools work for different families.

Tonight I have card club, which will be a Cinco de Mayo party. I have had this feeling of wanting to stay home lately, so I am not sure if I will make it or not.

Hurray!!! Daddy's Home!

I have not been posting lately because I have been busy tending to my very tired husband. We are all over the moon to have him home! It was such a long 3 weeks, but it has really done wonders to our relationship. He has been very tired, but so attentive to me and the kids. He even keeps complimenting me on how beautiful I am! (blush, blush) He says that he had a lot of time to reflect while he was gone and he says that he takes me for granted. I hope everyone will be as fortunate as me to meet someone as wonderful as my Jonny. I think another reason that Jonny is getting so gushy with me is that on Friday we will be celebration our 10th wedding anniversary. I have been so fortunate to be married to him for 10 wonderful years. I have to say that marriage is hard work, but oh so worth it when you have a wonderful partner. We are leaving the kids with Aunt Nancy and Uncle Robert and having romantic dinner at Fleming's . I can't wait!

Today Gemma had her playdate with Nicholas and Holly. Ann and I have decided to trade off once a week having playdates with the kids so we can get errands done. It is really working out well. Tomorrow I have some things to get done for a very special occasion, (can you guess what that is? I bet you can't.) so Ann is watchin Angus and Gemma for a few hours.

We are going to the gym in a little while and tonight I am going to knitting. I look forward to seeing my fellow knitters this week without my kids! Yeah!