Day 31: Our newest addition

We bought another betta fish today. With the hermit crabs gone, the girls have been looking to fill the void.

Meet Miss Ruby Redfish...

Day 30: Sleepy heads

This was the scene at 1:30 am. Since the husband was away last night, we had a slumber party. Before I finally turned out the lights, this was the picture.

Day 29: Something new

The husband was out with some former work friends this evening. After a trip to the library and to Target for a few essentials, we decided to go to Pizza Hut. It had been years since I've been to Pizza Hut, which means my children have never been. The girls entertained themselves while we waited for our pizza. Harper was proud to show off her blue tongue.

Day 28: Lazy cat

I have to practice my photography skills on something...

Day 27: Some fun after a tough day

This morning I took Harper to the ENT where we learned that she needs to have tubes put in her ears and her tongue clipped because she's tongue tied. I feel like I've been through the wringer.

When Emma came home from school, we went to Rite-Aid to get some fancy new nail polish so that I could give the girls manicures. Fun!

Harper's Nails

Emma's Nails

Day 26: School's out

I thought I'd venture out a bit with my camera today. I didn't venture very far...the bus stop was as far as I got. Here's Emma exiting the bus.

Day 25: Picture of the day

This is the only picture I took today...for the purpose of posting on Pieces Of  Me tomorrow (check tomorrow for the recipe). A tasty pasta salad that I made...

Day 24: J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets!

It was game day in our house, and we were ready to cheer our hometown team on!

Day 23: A special day

Today was Emma's First Reconciliation at church. Because there were no pictures or videocameras allowed during the service, I was limited to snapping shots at lunch afterwards.

Day 22: The campground

Our playroom has been transformed into a makeshift campground!

Day 21: A sweet treat

This is my sweet treat of the week...a chocolate dipped coconut macaroon. So yummy!

Day 20: A trip to the dentist

Today Emma had her 6 month checkup. Afterwards she was excited to show off her pearly whites!!

Day 19: Baby picture

I have this picture of Harper on a dresser in the master bedroom. It's one of my favorite pictures of her as a baby. Look how happy she is. I love that smile!

Day 18: MLK Day

No school today. You know what that means...Build-A-Bear Workshop! But first we had to make a stop at the pediatrician for Harper's follow up visit to her double ear infection and also to discuss this issue. We have been refered to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist and a speech pathologist.

And Build-A-Bear...well, that speaks for itself!

And a ride on the carrousel afterwards.

Day 17: Playing games

Harper was a monster.

Emma did a craft.

And the Jets won! Yay!

Day 16: Unplanned decluttering

As I was cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast this morning, it occured to me that I really needed to clean the space beneath our island. Not only was it dusty, it was also cluttered. In my haste to get started, I didn't take a "before" picture. Afte an hour of moving everything out, scouring the shelves, adjusting the shelf, re-arranging all the platters, cookbooks and mixing bowls, I was finally finished.

Day 15: Pep

Our 17 year old cat. I love this little guy...

Day 14: Harper's silly hat

Day 13: Photo experimentation

I took this picture tonight thinking that it would turn out completely black. I was surprised to get this.

Day 12: Playing in the kitchen

I'm not sure if this is cheating...I posted a similar picture on my personal blog, Pieces Of Me, today. I love it. It's Harper reading a cookbook in her play kitchen. So adorable!

Day 11: A Productive One

What started out as this:

Became this after a few hours:

I made these:

Lowfat banana muffins. I killed 2 birds with one stone...I baked while sticking to my healthy diet!!

Day 10: Mommy's little helpers

After bribing them with a trip to Target, I put the girls to work! Just kidding! As much as I wanted to get dinner cleaned up quickly, the girls insisted on helping with the cleanup efforts. Who can refuse 2 adorable faces? Not I!

Day 9: First pizza

It's hard to believe that 9 days into the month and today is the first time I've had pizza this year. I love pizza. Could eat it everyday...especially a crispy brick oven pizza. Yum!

Tonight's dinner which we happily ate after the Jets won the wild card playoff game. Yay! We are so excited. And yes! It was a good as it looks!!

Day 8: They eat their veggies

I'm lucky. I have kids who like their veggies. They eat salads. Salads with romaine lettuce, cucumbers, red peppers, carrots, red onion and grilled chicken. They like veggies and dip, too, especially broccoli!

Tonight they wanted salad for dinner.

Day 7: One of those days

I awoke with the best intentions. I had lots of chores to do and errands to run. I was assuming that today Harper would feel well enough to allow me to grocery shop and stop by Staples to buy printer cartridges. Afterwards, we'd come home where she could rest, and I could put the rest of my Christmas decorations away.

The first half of my day went as planned.

It was the second half of my day that threw me for a loop. As I was putting away the groceries, the school nurse called to tell me that Emma was in her office with a fever of 102 degrees F. Ugh! Here we go again. I called the pediatrician and made an appointment. 45 minutes later, this was Emma. She couldn't even sit up at the pediatrician's office. :\ Poor baby!

By 2:45 we knew that she had Strep throat. She'll be on antibiotics for the next 10 days and no school until Monday.

After we stopped at the pharmacy, we came home where she and Harper rested comfortably and watched a movie. I was lucky enough to get my decorations put away and a few loads of laundry done!

Day 6: Packing up

I had big plans today to pack up the remainder of my Christmas decorations and take everything to the garage. However, that wasn't happening. Harper was sick, and when she's sick, she's whiny and clingy. So, you know where I spent much of my day. Yep. By her side. But seriously, where else would I want to be? She's such a good snuggler!

Here's what was left undone. Oh well. There's always tomorrow!

Day 5: Homework

How quickly we get back into the swing of things. Emma has adjusted well to returning the school. Surprisingly, she's been doing her homework right after school...must be a resolution that she made in school. I'm all for it! Emma's a procrastinator and a master of stalling. It makes me happy that she's adopting a new habit!

Update to yesterday: Harper has a double ear infection. She missed school today and was so upset. She was excited to see her friends after being away from them for 2 weeks. Poor baby :(

Day 4: Under the weather

Nothing breaks your heart more than a sick child. As the day progressed so did Harper's cold. She's now running a low grade fever. Off to the pediatrician in the morning. :(

Day 3: The Jets

J-E-T-S! Jets! Jets! Jets! We are sitting here watching the Jets vie for a playoff spot. With our Jets apparel on and our fingers crossed, we're not giving up!!!

Day 2: Some "Me" Time

Today, my darling husband made plans to take the girls to lunch and to Toys R Us so that I could have some time to go shopping alone. I can't shop with the kids. Let's face it, it's impossible to shop with them. They become restless and selfish. It's all about them. If they are not in a toy store, they're not happy.

I'm lucky that my husband recognizes this. He knows that I like to take my time shopping. I try on everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. I can't do that with the kids in tow. I had a mission today. And I didn't disappoint. I started out at Banana Republic where I made excellent friends with Carol, a sales associate who quickly became my personal shopper. She was awesome! When I finished there, I headed to Starbucks. As I sipped my White Chocolate Mocha, I browsed Williams-Sonoma and Ann Taylor. I was disappointed with the selection at Ann Taylor. I moved on to Ann Taylor Loft where I scored big!

I just realized that everything I bought looks exactly the same! Oh well! I bought 3 pairs of jeans. I really needed some new ones. A few tops...mostly spring tops. I just can't bring myself to buy sweaters. I hate winter, and I hate spending money on winter clothes. :( I did buy a new black turtleneck at Banana Republic and a denim skirt to wear with some boots that I bought months ago. I also just realized that the sweater on the far left is hideously placed on the bed. You can't see what it looks like. Maybe I'll try on some combos tomorrow and take pictures. The outfits look better on than they do in this picture.

Once I came home, I insisted on tackling some de-cluttering in the girls room. I put Emma to work at her desk. She made lots of progress. She's a total pack rat so I know how hard this task must have been for her.

After our hard work, we had homemade pizza! Yum! A great way to end a great day!! :)

Day 1: A lazy day

A few months ago, I came across Becky Higgins' blog, and I was immediately inspired. Her blog is an account of her yearly activity on a daily basis...her diary, her journal. When I initially started blogging, my intent was to use my blog as a journal, but I never intended to write each and EVERY day. I wanted to document only the special stuff.

Not Becky. She documents each day. It's called Project Life or I've also seen it referred to as Project 365. In an effort to be able to look back on my year, I'm doing my own Project Life, right here. In addition to chronicling my life for a year, I also have to take a picture a day and post it.

I think this type of discipline will be good for me. It will force me to take a picture every day and force me to write every day. If all I do is laundry, then I'll take a picture of my laundry basket or washer and dryer. So be it.

This year has started out on a lazy note. We've been lying around watching TV all day. The Tournament of Roses Parade and The Honeymooners to be exact. It's been a relaxing start to what will be a great year. I have a pork roast in the crock pot, and as soon as I finish this post, I will tear myself away from my laptop to peel potatoes for mashed potatoes

Here's to kicking off 2010 with some downtime!