PRAY

For my sister Tiffany, I found out tonight her boyfriend has been violent with her. Not sure how violent, or for how long, but it doesn't really matter. I think some of it even happened while she was pregnant.

Cranky

I have been super cranky lately. Letting things that shouldn't bother me bother me, feeling insecure, and letting my mouth run before my mind has time to process what's being said. I HATE feeling this way. I have felt so awesome for so long, I decided to brainstorm what the change may have been. It wasn't very hard there has only been 1 major change recently:

I stopped nursing, and started the patch.

So I started doing a little research. Errin was the birth control pill I was on while nursing. Turns out it has no estrogen, it's also referred to as the "mini-pill". B/c it's estrogen only it's not as effective as conventional birth control, but when coupled with nursing it's very effective for new mothers. When I stopped nursing I went from this no estrogen pill to Ortho-Evera, also known as "the patch". The patch, b/c directly applied to the skin gives way more estrogen then even the average pill. So I went from 0-100 pretty quick. Hence the crankiness and all over feeling of blah. I have some left over pills from before I got pregnant, Trivora. I'm going to start them tonight instead putting on the 3rd patch. Hopefully this will help with my mood swings and my cranky dispoistion.

I need to make an appt to get my Thyroid meds re-newed anyway, so I'm going to talk to the Dr. about a low estrogen BC pill too. I've heard horror stories about the pill making woman crazy, but I kinda thought it was a bunch of BS. I guess not...

Here's to hoping I start feeling better soon!

Leftovers

Breakfast

Do you Twitter or Facebook?

Both, I don't update Twitter as much, or have as many "friends" on there, but I have one nonetheless.

Lunch
What are you looking most forward to this summer?
Going to Alabama of course! Amy and I have been friends for 2 years and never actually met in person. We share an awesome bond, that I have with no one else. I talk to her several times a week, her name is thrown around at our house like she's been a part of our lives forever. She is Harrison's Godmother(he wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her), so while we are in Alabama we are doing his baby dedication so she can be a part of it. Also, I'm going to go see Gone with the Wind for the first time at The Historic Alabama Theatre with her. We can't wait! Jason and the kids are stoked too!

Dinner
What is the easiest thing you fixed for dinner this week?

Turkey burgers on the grill. Ground turkey, shredded chz, garlic powder, chopped onion, salt pepper, and misc. other seasonings..and WA-LA dinner is served!

Midnight Snack

What are you envious about right now?
You know, nothing really. I'm happy and content.

Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life what is it just for the week?)
Family first, I have to do what's best for The Hallock's.

Wheew!

I've been busy, tired, and now confused...

On Sunday we took the big kids to my mom's for their regularly scheduled summer visit. They were super excited b/c Elize and Ashyra were going to be there at the same time. Tiffany decided to spell Alise with an I instead of a Y. Her choice, but I like the Y better. After Misty dropped the girls at moms she came and stayed with us for a couple of days. A much needed break for her... It was nice to have my sister around, I miss her. She kept Harrison on Monday, so they got lots of quality auntie/nephew time!

I have been so tired! Not sure why, I fall asleep pretty early(9-10) and sleep until 6:30-7, with no interruptions, so I'm not sure what the problem is...

A couple weeks ago a recruiting firm that I interviewed with in February called me back. The credit union they sent me to wanted to interview me again. I was very torn about this b/c I LOVE MY JOB, but I went ahead and said I would be interested... A couple weeks went by and I never heard anything, then they called today. I have an interview in the morning. I'm so torn and confused. I adore my job, the people I work with and for, I truly love, love, love what I do. BUT this other position is with a national credit union. Which means better pay, paid holidays, and most importantly insurance benefits. These are very hard things to overlook, no matter how much I love the job I have now. Sooooo, I've given it to God, he will put me where he wants me(and you too Amy!).

I didn't want to make Harrison's blog private forever, I just locked it so the MIL couldn't get in. I changed his URL so you can read all about him here. I probably won't update tonight, but check back tomorrow!!

So that nephew I was supposed to have today...

Turned out to be a niece!!

YAY!

Welcome

Aylse
6 lbs 8 oz
18 1/2 inches!

A Quickie

I know none of us ladies like those...but I'm to tired to type a bunch!

I love having big kids! We have a HUGE yard. It takes about 2 hours to mow. Here is Jonathan helping out and giving Daddy a break by mowing the backyard. He was so proud afterward!

They don't sell bathseats anymore. Apparently some parents thought they were babysitters and babies started drowning in them.... Now that H can sit up, he of course wants to sit up in the tub too. It's hard with out a bath seat b/c the tub is big and slippery. So we bathe him in the sink for now! It's his own perfect little bathtub and he LOVES it!

Golly, he so cute!

Um, yeah. This is SOOOOO Savannah. I just had to share!

My couponing-I already put this on MS and FB so most of you know but I'm SO proud I got all these goodies for a little less than 10 bucks! Whoo-hoo!

I today I got my time off approved to go to Alabama!! Jason put in his vacation time too! I am SO freaking excited I can't hardly stand it. 42 days baby! I talk to Amy so much and we have so much in common it's hard to believe we have never met in person. Savannah is stoked about playing with her daughter Gracie. Benji and Jason have lots to bond over too! Hehehe!

I had my first "bad" day at work. I realized the major downside to working for a small company. I still adore my job and love what I do though. Josh said he has received lots of compliments from other agents about me :O) So that great. He have TONS of closings this month and if we can get them all closed with losing contract I get a 250.00 bonus and a steak dinner. You know what? That's Alabama money baby!!! So pray we don't lose any contracts!

Jason's mom had laid off the MS for a few days so I thought maybe she took the hint, but she was back in full force today :O( She also told her BFF everything she read on the blog, b/c her BFF e-mailed us and made referance to it. Stupid Heifers. So glad we get under their skin by ignoring them :O)

Maybe it wasn't such a quickie after all! Hope you enjoyed it!

Sorry!

I really wanted to keep it public, but Jason's mother found the blog, so as soon as I noticed it went into immediate lock down. She is mighty determined. She sent me a twitter friend request, and I denied her. She was still able to access my friends though. Which she did, she looked at my sister's page which had a link to her blog, which of course had a link to my blog :O( She only had access for about 15 minutes before I noticed. Which is funny b/c she of course saw the 'crazy MIL' comment on yesterday's post. After she was denied access, she went crazy going back to my myspace and my sister's blog, I guess trying to get back in. I locked my blog and H's as soon as I noticed though. Her loss, shen made her bed and now she must lay in it.

I'm back!

After days of fighting with Cox, we switched to AT&T U-verse. We get more channels, and better net for cheaper. We didn't keep the house phone though. Now that Jonathan has a cell phone we don't need it.

I'm stopping nursing H. Yup, that's right no more boobie for the boy!! He hasn't nursed since early this morning, and before that it was yesterday morning. It's been really hard to keep it up while working. I'm glad I did it for 7 months though.

Below is a pic I took at Jen's house on memorial day. He's so stinkin cute, I just wanna squeeze him!


I don't know if ya'll know this...but I LOVE ORANGE!! My good friend Jen hooked me up with the frickin awesomest sunglasses! Check 'em out:

J and S spent the week with my mom and got to hang out with TC and Kat too! Teresa took some GREAT pics of the kiddos, so as soon as I get a chance to snag them I will post them. The kids are home for 1 week, then they go back to my mom's for a week again. This time Elize and Ashyra will be there too! Also, a week from Monday I will have a new nephew! It's so funny that Jonathan was the only boy for 9 1/2 years, and now our family has had 3 more boys in 1 year! Tiffany is having her C-section on June 8th, which is 4 days before her other son, Codey, turns 1. I do not envy her!

The kids got free Rock River Rapids passes when we signed them up for the daycamp at the DRC for the summer, so Jason and I got passes too! Lots o Fun and Sun this summer!! Woo-Hoo!

Um, what else? I have a couple of cavities that have really been bothering me. I mean can't sleep, leave work early, pain so intense I throw up kind of bothering me. It sucks. I have an appt. on the 17th. I hope I last that long!

The crazy MIL found my myspace again :O( It's my own fault. I was careless, it still sucks though. I wish she'd take a hint and leave us alone. She made her choice, we made ours. Let's be happy with our choices and move on already! I know we are and have, now I wish she would!

Anything else? I don't so. Hug and kisses!

Big H is growing up!

Isn't he the cutest? He's crawling, going from his belly to his butt, and PINCHING! Agh! I hate that one. Oh yeah, and he's sleeping through the night! 8:30p-6:30a baby! Gotta love that!

No Time!

I'm still alive! We've been busy, and now the net at home isn't working. Actually, the computer isn't working. It says I'm online, but no pages come up :O( Weird.

Anyway, hope all is well with my readers! Love ya'll.

Friday's Food

Breakfast

What is the most interesting biography you have ever read?

Hmmm...I'm not much of a biograghy girl. Although when I was younger I read "Little Girl Lost" Drew Barrymore's story of growing up in Hollywood and really enjoyed it. I also liked the book "Ryan White:My Own Story" about a boy who contacted HIV from a blood tranfusion.

Lunch
What is the longest you have ever waited in a line?
A couple hours? I think I stood in line for about 2 hours in Toy r Us one year the day after Thanksgiving.

Dinner

Where do you want to be right now?
I'm good right where I am!

Midnight Snack

What is hanging over your head and causing stress for you right now?

Money, always money!

Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life what is it just for the week?)
Live and Let Live

So Excited!!

I was telling Carol, Harrison's baby sitter, that I have been unable to pump a full bottle lately. The longer I work, the worse it gets. I started out being able to get 6 oz., now I'm down to 4 and she has to add 2 oz. of formula for him to have a full bottle. Then his other 2 bottles are all formula. Insert sad face.

She told me that her daughter has a duel pump Medela that I might be able to borrow!!AGHH!! I real breast pump! I was drooling at the thought....

Since Jason drops off and picks up H on Fridays, she called me tonight to let me know she will be getting the pump from her daughter this weekend and I can pick it up on Monday!!! Whoo-hoo! Happy dance time! She said it even has a car charger. Can you imagine pumping while driving?

So much to blog so little memory!

I know I have several topics I want to blog about, so if I jump I'm sorry~

Harrison-The pics below are from Saturday when we took him to the Immediate Care Clinic. He was wheezing really bad, and had a nasty cough. They were tossing around RSV and Pneumonia, but we ended up with Chest Cold. They gave him a breathing treatment to give him immediate relief, then we we were sent home with instructions on mucus sucking and a RX for antibiotics.

Washer-On Friday I get an e-mail at work from Jason telling me the washer has died. I has been on it's last leg for 2 years, so I wasn't surprised, it's 11 years old. However, the timing couldn't be worse! So we went on a washer hunt. Of course we didn't end up with just a washer! We also bought a sofa set. We need it, and I love it, but gosh I didn't want to break down and buy it! I will post pictures after it's delivered on Monday.

Funny-Jason is notorious for messing up the words to songs. He will be singing along, and sing the totally wrong words. I'm like WTC? Where did that come from? This was proven again yesterday when he shared this little diddy with me..

The best part of making love is Folgers in your cup...

I asked him if he was disappointed the first time he "made love" that a steaming cup of coffee didn't magically appear at the end. Thankfully by that time in his life he had long since realized what the commercial really said. Hehehehe :O)


Coupons-Coupon clipping has gone techie and is easier than ever. A friend of mine bought the products below for.....$6.56 before tax! That's right, six dollars and fifty-six cents! Wow! This is the website that helped her do it.
I'm going to give it a try. Can you imagine? It takes discipline to just get the items on your list, but wow! I will be super stoked if I could walk out of the store with 3 bags and only have spent 7 bucks! I'll keep you posted.

Hallock's Got Talent-next week you will subjected to videos of my children singing. They BOTH made the talent show! Jonathan will be singing 'American Soldier' by Toby Keith, and Savannah will be singing 'Fly on the Wall' by Miley Cyrus. I will admit I was a little scared when they decided to try out. The mother in me took over. If they didn't try out, then they wouldn't be rejected right? Or worse, what if one of them made it and the other didn't? It was a nerve wracking few days for me. I'm sure I'm going to be sick of hearing them sing by this time next week. I'm so proud of them for trying out, that I won't care!

I need more blog updates peeps! This every few weeks crap isn't cutting it for me!

Content

I am content. No, not just content. Blissfully content. I adore my life. I'd make minor tweaks if I could. You know, move Amy and Misty closer, win the the Lotto, have longer hair... Nothing major though. I love my clean house, nothing makes me happier than Sunday nights. The house is clean, the laundry is done, and I have spent the weekend with my loved ones. As much as I was dreading going back to work, I'm happy that I have. My job rocks. I love what I do. The people are fabulous and I come home happy. When I get home, we grill. Grilling makes me happy. It's quick, it's healthy, and it's an easy clean up. It leaves me more time to enjoy my family. I cherish the time I have with Harrison more. He is growing so fast and doing new stuff each and every day. It's amazing, he's amazing. When the kiddos go to bed, it's Mommy and Daddy time. I love it. Sometimes we clean up together, watch TV, or lay in bed and read side by side. It's perfect. We laugh, talk, tickle and enjoy each others company. It is the perfect way to end every day. I know life isn't always going to be this easy. Summer will come, Football will start, Jason will head back to school, schedules will change, but I'm living in the moment and loving the life that the Good Lord has blessed me with!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone is having an awesome day celebrating the toughest job in the world! I slept in until 9:45 and woke up to a prepared breakfast of sausage gravy over biscuits and fresh pepsi! Good times! Jason had cleaned the kitchen, while the kiddos MADE me cards. Ahhh, I love my fella!

I'll explain tomorrow...

I'm to tired tonight...

Friday's Food

Breakfast

Beach or mountains?

Beach

Lunch
Online shopping or store shopping?
Store

Dinner

If you live in America, do you enjoy Mother's Day? If not, does your country celebrate Motherhood in any way?
I do live in America, and I do do celebrate Mother's Day!

Midnight Snack

What would be your best gift for Mother's Day?

A second car, that runs well, looks descent and is paid off!

Recipe of the Week (instead of your recipe for life what is it just for the week?)
Save, Save, Save.
We're going to 'Bama Baby!!

Hmmm.....

I don't have a specific "topic" to blog about. All is well in Hallock World. I am still LOVING my job. I'm so thankful and blessed! The owners(a mom and son team) are awesome! Pam reminds me SO much of my mother that I sometimes have to stop myself from calling her Mom. She's 5'2ish, slender, with brown hair and glasses...what is that you say? Sounds like my mom?? I know! Josh is like the big brother I never had(except he's a year younger than me!). We are always teasing each other, and laughing. I don't see much of the 2 buyers agents(they office on the other side of the building), but when I do get to see them we get along great. There is another office aid, that is a early 20ish college guy. It was a little awkward at first b/c he wasn't very talky, but the more time we spent together the more we chit-chat and it gets less awkward. I'm learning SO much, everyday is different and non-stop. I adore it.

One thing I DON'T adore is Savannah's attitude. I seriously think we went wrong somewhere. Maybe I wasn't made to mother girls..I don't know. All I know is she is out of control. She has picked up the new word "butthead" and had called Jonathan that twice today already when I went in to tuck them in. While in there I heard it again. I sent her to the kitchen fully intending to wash her mouth out with soap, I'm tired of it. Once she realizes what I was planning on doing she starts screaming at me that Mrs. Bott(her teacher) said that's poison, and I'm trying to kill her, I want her to die, I hate her...Fun Times... So I say fine, go to my room, your getting spanked. She is screaming that I hate her and hopping around on my bed like a rabid dog. I try to get her to calm down, to no avail. So I have to hold her down while I spank her, which I hate! That makes me feel like a child abuser! So of course she moves, and I get her on the top of her thigh. That sends her over the top! You hit me on my leg! You hate me! Since you hate me, I hate you! She stomped to her room, and buried herself under the covers. I made her pull her head out, gave her a kiss and told her I loved her.

Agh! Why do girls have to be so hard???

If You Do Nothing Else Today...

READ THIS!

Week in Review

Wheew, what a great week!

I LOVE my job. It definitely has potential to be stressful, but it keeps me so busy and I'm learning so much! I work in a Real Estate office as the Office Manager/Transaction Coordinator. When someone buys a house it's my job to make sure it closes. I schedule all inspections, make sure all the forms are filled out correctly, follow- up with lenders to be sure they have all the information for processing, answer any questions from the buyer/seller/other agent. It's the same thing over and over, but no contract is exactly alike. Each property/seller/buyer has their own set of issues. After 1 week I have so many crazy stories! My agents in my office work their arses off for their clients, they go so much above and beyond, it's insane. I have Internet access at work to get on FB, MS and such. However, I don't have time. I'm SO busy. Most of the time I am reminded to go to lunch by my engorged boobies! I pump then come back to my desk to eat. I don't even have time to miss my big H during the day. The best part is I don't come home at the end of the day exhausted. I still have energy to clean and play with the kiddos. Which says a lot since H still isn't sleeping through the night.

Yesterday we went and looked at furniture. We only have 2 chairs and are in desperate need of a sofa and more places for people to sit. We found a red set that I LOVE, with an orange and red accent chair. Too stinking cute. We are still thinking about it, but it's a definite need.

Last night Michelle and her family came over to chill. We had a great time. I made Chicken Enchiladas, corn, rice, and beans. Michelle brought Cheesecake squares are dessert. We ate, played Phase 10, Spades, and Taboo. Then the guys went outside to play hide and seek with the kids in the dark while Michelle, Ray, and I played some hand clapping game. We had a blast.

Everyone preparing their plate

Michelle's John playing with Harrison

Desiree' feeding Harrison

Michelle, very excited by her dinner :) LOL!

My younguns, it's so hard to get a great photo of all 3. It's getting a little easier now that H is older, but it's still a challenge.

This is a video Nick took of us girls playing the clapping game. You had to create an ongoing story with everyone by saying a word after the person before you. To fun! I everyone has a great week! I'm off to do laundry and dishes.