Happy New Year

I'd like to wish everyone a year ahead filled with the love of family, good health and prosperity. Tonight, I'm spending a quiet night at home. Kelsea is out, Al is sleeping because he's got to work midnights tonight in order to switch off tomorrow to go to the game, and Jacob's here surfing through the channels.

I made my chili a bit earlier... man, the market was a zoo! I can remember when I was a teenager working at IGA that New Year's Eve was always the busiest day of the year. Go Figure! Anyway, I've spent the night getting the Colts website all set. (I'm the webmistress but never downloaded the site back to my hard drive after my computer crash... and of course there were glitches today which took quite a bit of time to get straightened out.)


Well, time to get this place straightened out and get my stuff together for the game tomorrow. Go Pats!!

Date Night

Finally got my podcast up and posted! This week totally flew by and I can't believe it's over already. Tomorrow, I need to shop and cook for Sunday but tonight we're heading out to a nice dinner at McCormick and Schmicks...bon apetite!

Time Flies...

Dang... can't believe that it's Thursday already and that my vacation is almost over. Yesterday was a total waste. I spent 6 hours on the phone and online chatting with Dell. The old "hard drive frying" incident of November was finally resolved yesterday after speaking with more techs than I care to remember! At least it's finally all set, even though I spent more hours today.

It seems as though all I did all day was give rides and take care of that computer issue. I STILL haven't even done my podcast from Sunday... but we've watched lots of movies and drank some good bottles of wine this week so all is not lost. :-)

Tomorrow, I definitely have to get the podcast done and shop for the final regular season tailgate. Here's hoping that Tedy's injury isn't really serious. I definitely don't expect him to play no matter what on Sunday (unless he's completely fine.) We still don't know who and when we are playing next week. It will either be Saturday or Sunday. Part of me hopes it will be Saturday because I don't work on Sunday, but on the other hand, we have tickets to Evita at the Providence Performing Arts Center on Saturday afternoon and we'll miss it.

Well, time to grab a bite then head down to start the movie night.

Hump Day

Can't believe that it's already Wednesday! I spent yesterday running errands, heading into school to take care of my fish, etc. I also spent some time setting up my new MySpace Account and updating the website.

Today, I need to get my podcast produced and up and want to watch some of the Rome shows that I've recorded on the DVR. Al and I were hooked on the HBO series but I missed the last two episodes. This week, they're replaying the entire season as a marathon, so I'm recording the whole thing to watch it over before catching those last two.

I also need to either get to the gym or head outside for a run. I have to also hook up my old, broken hard drive to the computer to contact Dell so that they can test it and give me a replacement drive... (Silly me, when my hard drive croaked in October, I just bought a new one not realizing that it was still under warrantee.) Once they get the code, they'll send me another one which I'll install as a back-up.

Time to head out to give Jake a ride to wrestling practice and to head over to fix voo-voo's meds.

Lazy, Rainy Day

Spending a lazy, rainy day at home... ahhh! We spent a nice quiet Christmas Night together, hit the hot tub, drank a bottle of wine and watched The Green Mile, then came across Sideways while surfing... gotta always stop and watch that one every single time.

Al's working today and I'm just hanging around doing laundry and booked our flights to FL for a wedding in April. Pats are playing tonight, and other than heading out to pick Kelsea up I don't plan on leaving the house.

I started counting WW points again today and I'm determined to be successful. I've got practically nothing that fits comfortably and I'm sick of it!

So... going to surf around a bit and update the website and set up my Myspace acct then I might watch Inside the NFL which I Tivo'd this week.

Merry Christmas

Christmas morning... the kids are still sleeping and Al is at work. I've got the tree lit, music on and a candle burning. I'm here enjoying a nice cup of coffee reading my email. Perfect morning if you ask me...

This has been one of the best Christmases in years and most especially because the lead up to it was less stressful than in the past. We finally downsized in terms of just picking a name on Al's side which made my shopping and prep a breeze. We headed to church for 5:30 then we all went to Erik's last night and had a great time.

When we got home, the kids opened their presents than Al and I headed down to watch a movie and share a bottle of wine. Flipping through the channels found one of our favorites: The Phantom of the Opera.

Today, I'm heading out to pick up Johnnie then making a ham for lunch. Al will come home to eat and Dad will be here. Nice and low key...love it!

I'm truly blessed in all that I have, and the fact that we didn't add much "stuff" to our lives this Christmas makes me so happy. I need to cut down on the clutter in my life, not add to it. Sharing the holiday with my family is all that I need :-)

God Bless and Merry Christmas.

Trying again... it's now or never!

Ok... so I got the podcast done yesterday which was a relief then I headed out to do some shopping. GRRRRR... walked into Best Buy and there were about 50 people in line but I was going to go for it. However, they didn't even have anything that I was looking for so I said forget it. So, I came home, did some laundry and then headed to Jacob's meet.

This afternoon, the DirecTV guy is coming again to install the DVR (last time there was snow on the roof so he couldn't do it) so I'll have to be home to wait for him. I'm sure that Al will want to go out for a drink tonight but I would rather just stay home. We haven't been there since October though so I'll likely give in.

It's 9:30 now and I've just cleaned the house so it's time to head out...it's do or die time for me. I'm heading to Curcuit City to try there and then I'll have to hit BJs. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.

I LOVE BEING HOME!

Woooohoooo!! Got up early to wake the family for school/work but, yippee, I get to stay home today!! I took advantage of the quiet house to finally get my podcast up and out... Once it's uploaded I'm jumping in the shower then I'm heading out to finish my shopping and wrapping. Jake has a meet tonight and since I'm home I'll get caught up on my laundry which will free me up to do some overdue web stuff and computer fixes.

More later....

FREEDOM!!

AHHHHH....the Perma-smile is here! I'm off work until Jan 3rd! So, hopefully tonight I can get some web work done, and get caught up on my laundry. Tomorrow, it's shopping and wrapping then Jacob's wrestling meet.

I'm so behind on my podcast and I haven't even edited the soundseeing tour yet. I need to get it done tomorrow at some point (tonight would be better but unlikely.) I promised the honey a hot tub date tonight so it probably won't get done.

On another note, congrats to Brady and Seymour for being voted to the Pro Bowl and GRRRRRR.... about Damon joining the ranks of the Evil Empire and GRRRRRR even more to the capitalization of the topic on all of the sports radio and tv shows... Thank God for the NFL Network. It's December and all I want to talk about and hear about are the Patriots!

Countdown is on...

Feeling FAT, swamped and tired.... I've been so busy with everything this weekend that I haven't been to the gym at all. My clothes are uncomfortable and I can't stand it any more. I'm definitely looking forward to having 10 days off from work to be able to do things that I really need to do.

So, it's Tuesday night... I didn't get "home" until around 9:00pm. I stayed at school late working on a behavioral plan for one of my students then went to Jake's wrestling meet (He won 13-0!) then did some final errands for school tomorrow.

I've still got a few things to get for Christmas but the bulk of it is over since I did Christmas with my brothers' families this past weekend. My students last day with me is tomorrow so I'm all set in that department too. And, we FINALLY cut down in Al's family and are picking a name...it's about time.... so I don't have that much to buy this year. Thank God, because the holiday season, which is supposed to be so joyous is extremely stressful for me and I've grown to hate it. This year has been better already :-) So, I just have to go out on Thursday and pick up a few things for the kids to open on Christmas... They're each getting a big gift but I have to put something under the tree.

Well, it's 10:00 right now and I'm going to head into bed with a book... I'll face the folded clothes, mail, and other crap hanging around tomorrow when I get out of school never to return (haha!) until January 3rd. Right now, I need my sleep more than I need to deal with that stuff.

I've still got my podcast to get done and some online banking to do. Hopefully, it will all be done tomorrow night before I head to bed... I know for a fact that the old vacation smile will be returning very, very soon.

Quick Weekend

Wow... can't believe it's Sunday night already. This weekend really flew. After having Friday off of work which was great to allow me to wrap, etc. I still can't believe how behind I STILL am.

Yesterday, my boys clinched the AFC East and played an awesome game!! We had a mellow tailgate but it was fun nonetheless. I ate way too much food, however and didn't feel too good when I got home. We soaked in the hot tub which was nice but rather than get some work done around here, we laid around and watched movies.

Today, I went to my brother's house to celebrate Christmas with my family. Tonight, I updated my website but still have the picture editing, tailgate and podcast to do. Right now, I need to do some laundry and clean up the clutter in here before heading off to bed. I hope to get there early because it will be a really busy week.

Good night!

Lucky Friday :-)

So, woke up this morning to rain... and found out that my kids had one hour delay for school because it was icy outside. Assuming that we (my district) had no delay, I was ready for work and heading out the door but decided to check online just in case...

Well, what to my wondering eyes should appear but a NO SCHOOL announcement for me! I'm sure that the Superintendent knew that she blew it by not closing last week so she jumped the gun and closed early today.

Oh well... a make up day in June is ok by me since I could really use this December day to get some things done.

Last night, Kelsea played chauffer and drove me around and I got most of my Christmas shopping done which was a relief.

Today's agenda includes:
wrapping everything (I have to head out for tape first though....grrrr)
laundry
checkbook/bills
housework
shopping for tailgate
cooking for tailgate
webwork
gym
register for January classes
maybe even watch a movie tonight :-)

I feel like a housewife! C'mon Megabucks... It's been my life long dream to STAY HOME!

12 Days till Christmas

Hit the gym after school and ran a bit. Did pretty well with my eating today too. I'm getting ready to go down to watch a movie with my honey after I pick up Jake from wrestling practice. Tonight is a very cold night... I'm waiting for it to warm up so the snow on the roof can melt and the DirecTV guy can install my DVR.... They came today but couldn't get up there. Actually, when they initially installed the DT a couple of years ago they should have put up the wire but didn't.

I still haven't done any shopping yet... must get out tomorrow night after the meet. I HAVE to get it done this week as Christmas with my brothers is this Sunday.

Feeling really uncomfortable in my clothes this week... I really, really, really, need to take off some weight as I'm dead set against going up a size. As it is, I'd like to go down a couple.

Catching Up...

Hey Gang,

Monday night (actually early Tuesday morning!) and things are getting a bit caught up here in terms of the holidays. We took our Christmas Card photo on Saturday afternoon and thanks to digital technology had them in hand Saturday night.

Yesterday, we watched the Patriots game, took a hot tub, sent the cards out, and decorated the house. Tonight I caught up on the website (www.patriotworld.com) and recorded my podcast (www.mrsbpatriotworld.blogspot.com) and I'm just waiting for that home made chicken soup to cool a bit so that I can put it away and hit the hay.

Diet wise, I'm not sure how I'm doing as I haven't gotten on the scale nor thought much about it this weekend. I didn't get to the gym at all... hopefully tomorrow!

I still haven't bought a single gift and I need to have the little ones all done before the weekend because we're doing Christmas on Sunday and there's a game on Saturday.

Well... time for bed!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Wicked Weather

Man... did they ever blow it having school today. It started snowing at 6:30 then kept right on all morning. By noon it switched to freezing rain, then the second wave of the storm hit around 1:30 and was blowing strong right when the kids got out of school. There were tons of cars stuck and slippery roads galore.


This is a shorty because I'm heading downstairs to watch movies and have some wine with the honey.

I just (finally!) ordered a DVR so that I don't continue to miss my Pats games when I'm there and to catch the few shows that we like to watch but I always seem to miss.

TGIF

Hoping for a snow day today... (when am I not?!) but it's just starting to come down now at 6:30AM so it's much too late to cancel school. Planned on going to the gym to do some cardio after school but sat down at the computer to do a few things and before I knew it, Al was home and we needed to eat. Went to our favorite Mexican joint which I always love but ate too much and felt uncomfortable. OY Vey!

So, it just started snowing and it's going to get ugly while we're at school and during the commute home. We need to take the kids' Christmas Card photo outside at some point today since I don't even have a tree up inside and there's nothing Christmassy about the house yet.

My goals for this weekend are:
Take photo
Put away fall decorations
Put up the tree, etc.
Contact SILs to find out what to buy for the nieces and nephews
Make chili
Watch my Pats kick Buffalo's butt from my couch!

Have a great day!

Still on a Roll

Hit the gym after work for more cardio (20 min. elliptical/ 10 min. treadmill) but I needed to take it a bit slow today because my knees are sore. I definitely didn't eat enough during the day because my stomach was literally growling after the gym and I ended up eating crap (chips, nachos and a cookie) before even eating dinner....grrrr!

Tonight I caught up on all of my email and I'm about to record my podcast since my soundseeing tour is edited and ready to go.

TTFN... as I hope to get to bed before the calendar date changes to 12/08.

Keeping on Keeping On...

157... Well, I did hit the gym after my faculty meeting and although I prefer to be a morning exerciser, I'm just relieved to be able to make it at all. I ran/walked for 30 minutes and got a good sweat going. Then, I hit the Nautilus circuit upstairs for one round.

Last night I updated my Jets Tailgate report and edited the soundseeing tour file for the podcast here which I'll do tonight. After school, Jacob has his first wrestling meet of the season. We've yet to take our Christmas card photo and I still have (YIKES!) Halloween decorations up in house. So, needless to say, it will be a busy day for me again.

Bummer on the Snow

Of course, we got ripped off... the storm headed south and the Cape got hit but we got practically nothing; just enough to make the roads messy but little else. I didn't get everything done last night but I hope to tonight. I'm feeling lousy with my roll hanging over my jeans...grrr! So, although I prefer to go to the gym in the morning, I'm going to make it a priority to go after my faculty meeting this afternoon so that I can run. The class is going bowling today so it should be an easy day.... (crossing fingers!) Sometimes, taking the kids out is worse because they get all riled up.

Catch ya later.

Oh yeah.... and Gmail has been down since last night. What's up with that?! I feel cut-off from the world.

Snow on the Way

Had a good day at work today... two of my biggest behavior problems were absent :-) which made it quite a productive day. Went to the station after work to do some cardio... it was ok. I would have preferred to go to my gym but it was good in a pinch. Tonight, I have lots to do; online banking, laundry, website update www.patriotworld.com and pre-editing work for the podcast http://mrsbpatriotworld.blogspot.com/ . They're predicting some snow for tonight but I'm not getting my hopes up for a snow day... no such luck. I could really use it though! I still have my Halloween stuff out and haven't even taken our Christmas card photo yet, let alone send them out. This week proves to be a busy one as always... where's that 25th hour anyway?

YIKES!

160.... Of course my belly is full from the tailgate and eating late last night but...yikes! I've never seen a scale tip that high except for during my pregnancies. The plan is to go to the station right after work since we're only taking one car into the city today. The van is still loaded with tailgate supplies so we'll unload it later. Oh, yeah...great game and tailgate, but man, I'm still thawing out now.

Time to get to work... I'm shooting for a great day there.

Snowy Sunday

Woke up this morning to see Snow!! Although summer is my favorite season, if we're going to have winter in New England, it better snow. We're heading out shortly to meet up with our tailgate crew for today's game against the Jets. I'm hoping that the snow remains and it doesn't switch over to rain. Some of my favorite games at Gillette have been snow games, including the one where this picture of me was taken.

Go Pats!!

Welcome... I'm Getting Back on Track!!

So, today is the first day of my new blog and my re-commitment to get in shape and make time to workout even though I really do need that 25th hour to do so. This blog is just my ramblings about real life stuff (as opposed to my public Pats fan stuff). It will all become clearer as time goes on but for now I needed to make this initial entry to get the ball rolling.

I got up today and although I had things to do and prefer to workout really early in the morning I hit the gym around noon and ran/walked for 30 minutes. (I know most won't care but I need to keep track.) I logged 2 miles on the treadmill with walking 5 min., running at 5.0 for 10min. , upping the incline to 6 and walking for 5min, putting it down and running for 10 min. then cool down walking for the last 5 min. Then I went upstairs and and did one round on the Nautilus circuit trainer.

Not bad for my first day back... (totally motivated and sparked by my attendance at my husband's Christmas party last night in which I was so uncomfortable in my nylons and dress that I couldn't stand myself.) Tomorrow is the Pats game so my eating/drinking will be more than on regular days but I hope to exercise some moderation there.

My chili is just finishing up so it's time to head downstairs to watch a movie with DH and possibly soak in the hot tub. It's freezing here tonight though!