Lots to share...

We are having a wonderful time in NYC. Visiting family, seeing the city and eating lots of wonderful food. We come home tonight and I will be sure to post pictures for all of you tomorrow. I'm sad that our vacation in ending!

Focus people....focus!!

Why am I blogging and drinking coffee when we leave for the airport in two hours??? I still need to finish packing...make me focus people!!

Am I jinxing it...

if I let you know that "Molly" has gone one week and two days with no accidents??? Woo-hoo!

The value of cousins...

My brother is not married although he has an awesome girlfriend who I would be proud to call my sister...someday! So, obviously they have no children yet. My brother in law is only 22 so he also is not married yet and has no children. My brother's girlfriend does have two nieces that are close in age to my children and we do things together with them from time to time. This is the closest thing that my own children have to cousins.

Growing up my own cousins were an important part of my life although we have not remained as close as I would like. I have fond memories of us swimming in my grandparents pool, making up plays, or sledding in the winter time. Hubby on the other hand grew up with no brothers or sisters (his brother came many years later when his mom got remarried) but had his two cousins who he lived with. They were more like siblings than cousins.

Both of his cousins are married now with children of their own. When we go to NYC tomorrow my children will have an opportunity to play with their second cousins and for that I am so grateful! They are going to have a blast because all of them are similar in age. We saw the one set at Christmas time when they came to visit us here in Florida. The other set we haven't seen in 2 years. This is my favorite part about our trip...getting to see my own children get to interact with their cousins. Swimming in the pool together, catching fireflies in the backyard, eating ice cream and just laughing and having a good time.

When hubby and I lived in NYC we spent all of our time with his cousins and his cousin J and I became very good friends. Seeing our children together is a memory that I am certain will be valuable for all of us. Family is so very important and I am thrilled that our family on both sides is so close. When our family become our friends well than that is even better!

Start spreading the news....

we're leaving for NYC in 3 days!

We are staying in the city with hubby's cousin and are going to have a blast! Central Park, fresh bagels, yummy pizza, Natural History museum, subways, family, cousins for the children to play with...I am so excited!!!

And poof! It's gone...

If this isn't proof that I am having some kind of " crack up crisis" than I don't know what is...

I woke up this morning in a wonderful mood...feeling happy, hopeful and content. Yesterday I felt anxious and overwhelmed and today I'm normal again.

I guess I need to just go with it...realize that I am going to have moments of worry and anxiety and not allow myself to get all worked up about it. For now I am just going to allow myself to be happy and focus on the things that I have to be thankful for. My friends and my family.

In other news....Happy Father's Day to all of the Father's out there. Hubby got up early to go and play basketball. The children and I made breakfast for him and when he came back we all enjoyed breakfast together. My husband is a wonderful father and for that I truly feel blessed. Today we are going to go and celebrate at my parents house with everyone there. I hope you all enjoy your Sunday too!

Worrying, anxiety and all that jazz!

I have hesitated to post about my feelings lately but I think if you've read any of my previous posts you will have been able to pick up on my mood lately.

I have always been a worrier...I am sure I've posted about this before...but my worrying reached a whole new level when I became a mom. Am I feeding him enough? Why is he crying? Why won't she sleep? Am I doing this right? What if I'm screwing up my children? I look at friends who are more laid back and wish I could be like that. I tell myself I need to be relaxed and focus on the present but that lasts for awhile and then the worry and anxiety comes right back.

Lately, I have been a bundle of nerves. I don't know if it is the puppy, my job or just general day to day issues but I am starting every day with my heart feeling like it is jumping out of my chest and my stomach in knots. I feel just like I felt when I became a new mom. The feelings of insecurity are ridiculous! It's my summer vacation and I'm not enjoying it...instead I'm worrying about when the puppy is going to poop or whether my children are having a fun summer or whether I need to entertain them so they aren't "bored". In short...I am driving myself nuts!

My mom got really mad at me the other day...there are so many bigger issues in the world and here I sit worrying about minor things. I know I need to snap out of it but I'm not entirely sure how. I am trying to get back to positive thinking and focusing on all that I have to be thankful for. I want to enjoy every day and stop projecting about what is going to happen when school starts back up. Today is here right now and I need to enjoy it. I feel like before I know it I am going to blink and wonder where my life went.

Any suggestions on how to get through this?

Drumroll.....

I got a job!!!

It was time for a career switch for me. I knew that with the school closing I just felt like it was time to move forward in my career and not continue doing the exact same thing.

So.....

I accepted the position as a middle school counselor! I will be the 7th grade counselor at a nearby middle school. Many of my students from the elementary school attend this middle school so it will be a nice transition for me. I know many of the families already so it will be really nice to already know many of the issues.

I feel like if I am going to eventually open up a private practice then gaining experience with a different age level of students is a wise career move.

A new adventure begins!!!

Let's be frank....

by getting our family a puppy, I have increased my work load immensely.

Don't get me wrong....she is adorable, but how awful is it that I can't wait for the day that she is older and won't poop so much?

We've got sleeping down and she eats great....she pees and poops outside when she is walked on her leash but I cannot get her daytime pooping down and it is driving me crazy! Yesterday we tried to go down to the pool for a couple of hours and came home to her with poop all over her and her crate. On Sunday, we went out to lunch for a couple of hours and she was fine. All the books say she should poop after she eats but she doesn't do it right away and I really wish I could figure it out.

I know...it's only been a week. But I'm a planner and I want to have this all worked out. Any thoughts or suggestions? I do not want to do the "pee pads" because I only want her to go outside to go to the bathroom. This is going to go down in history as the summer of poop!

In case you were wondering...

the puppy potty training? yeah..that's not going so well.....

Get your exercise on!!

When we got our big flat screen TV we signed up for digital cable, Internet and phone through Bright House Networks. They have this really cool feature called exercise TV on demand. There are all kinds of free workouts on there and they sometimes vary weekly.

Hubby found one called "Rock Solid abs". It's only 10 minutes but it really kicks your butt and I can actually feel it working when I do it. Now I need to get more consistent and do it at least 3x a week so that I too can have "rock solid abs"!

I've really kept my eating under control since summer started. Somehow I always feel like eating less when summertime hits. The problem is I haven't been as consistent with the exercise. It seems that when I'm eating right I don't exercise enough and when I exercise consistently, than my eating isn't the best. It's time for me to refocus my energy and get myself healthy. In my mind and my body!

Hubby looked up some articles about "authentic happiness". I've felt mildly depressed for the past couple of weeks with school ending and being unsure about my job status. I think even my mom completing chemotherapy has me kind of off. Getting the puppy was wonderful but she is a lot of work so it's easy to get overwhelmed with that too. I need to choose my own happiness and work hard to live purposely.

I am starting with eating right, exercising and choosing to be positive. It is a new day!

Name change....

Her name is now "Molly". It just suited her better. She's a dainty little girl and she needed a "girlie" name! Those of you who warned me about all of the work? You certainly weren't kidding....having a puppy is just like a newborn. Only difference is a newborn can be brought places with you. We have been sticking close to home as we work on "potty training". Each day she gets livelier and livelier! What fun!

It's puppy time!

Everyone was right....having a puppy is tough work much like a newborn. She is adorable however and that makes up for the fact that she pooped in her crate last night. She slept all night long which was good but I woke up this morning to her sleeping in her poop. I guess that's what happens when she has pooped and peed where she sleeps for the first four months of her life. Today I am going to be diligent about taking her our frequently.

She is a Boston Terrier and Beagle mix and her name is "Harley". Hubby was stuck on naming her "Pocket" or "Apple". "Harley" just seemed to fit and so we compromised and her middle name will be "Apple"!

She is currently sleeping in her crate with the door open so she can feel comfortable. She doesn't even know how to walk on a leash yet. She is slowly getting used to the leash and collar but hasn't ventured much past the front lawn. After the garbage trucks are done and the lawn guy next door is done we are going to try and see if she will walk some with us.

I'm excited but also feeling nervous about the whole situation. I've wanted a puppy for so long I just want to make sure that we train her right. I'm reading online and I'm going to take her to my father in law who is a vet later this week. We'll figure it out but right now I feel like I'm just fumbling around and trying to figure out what to do. I'll post more pictures later!

Our newest addition...

Isn't she cute???

It's award time!!

I was given the same award by two lovely bloggers so I figured I better get with it and show the award to all of you and thank them both!

Bahama Shores Mama is a blog that I stumbled upon from another blog I visit, Neurotically yours. Well she was the first kind soul to bestow this award on me a couple of weeks ago and than today I find out that I also received this award from Jaime too! Wasn't that sweet of them! Now go and check them out, leave them some comment love and be sure to tell them that I sent you!

Now onto the rules:
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Well, 15 is a lot of blogs and I have been a slacker lately and haven't discovered many new blogs. So, how about I cheat a little (Jaime did this too!) and just pick 5?

1. Schmoochiepoo She found me awhile ago and I just finally got around to putting her on my blog roll. I love her perspective on things and she is a good read!

2. Journey to the Hottub I've been reading Lizzie forever but I wanted to bestow this on her because she is one of my all time favorites! I also think we would be good friends in real life!

3. Mud and Coffee She hasn't been around for awhile but maybe if we shower her with some comment love she'll come back over! I love her take on things and I miss reading her.

4. Angry Julie Monday Julie was added to my blogroll about a month ago. I used to lurk on her blog from Ashley and Mamalicious' blog and I finally decided to leave a comment. She's a runner too and I love hearing about her son.

5. Life without Novacaine Deborah is also someone I have been reading for awhile but she really deserves this award because she writes on her blog everyday!! I wish I had as much commitment and she does. She's also a fabulous artist!

Now go and read them all!

At Peace...

Well, I have made my decision and I feel good about it. I spoke with my supervisor today and I absolutely love her. She has been a tremendous support throughout this entire process. Basically, I can make my wishes known and the principals can make their wishes known but personnel has the final say of where everyone is going to end up. I honestly will be happy in either position so I gave my preferences and now I just wait.

Because the decision is not ultimately up to me I'm not going to tell you which school I put first. I will however let you know when I get a call and where I will be going. I truly feel so very lucky to have two possible choices and I know that where I am meant to be next year is where I will be.

In other news.....hubby is resigning himself to possibly letting us get a puppy. We are going to go and look at a Feist mix puppy on Sunday from a local rescue. I'll let you know how that goes too!

Changes...changes...changes!!!

HMMMM...help me decide, please???

Okay I seriously know this is a fabulous position to be in but for someone who is as indecisive as I am it is a tortuous situation to be in as well. I am so afraid of making the wrong choice..

Here it is in a nutshell...I've been offered a counseling position at an elementary school and I've been offered a position counseling at a middle school.

The elementary school would be easy. I've been an elementary counselor for 9 years...I can do this job in my sleep. This is the plus side of this job...minus side is the school is much larger then my current school. I would be responsible for approximately 700 students as opposed to 350 students.

Middle school would be a switch. I'm already having to change because my school is closing so why not make a big change. The scheduling aspect of it scares me as does FCAT coordination. I've never been a middle school counselor...I know I can counsel the students but middle school teachers scare me. I wouldn't just be able to walk right in and know what I was doing...I would have to learn what to do.

So, tell me what you think folks...please comment. I've mulled this over in my mind back and forth..back and forth. My stomach is in knots. I don't want to make the wrong decision and I need to make a decision soon. Please let me know what you think...

School's out for Summer!

It has been a whirlwind of tears, emotions and stress but school is officially over for the summer...I had an interview today at an elementary school and I have two tomorrow....one at a middle school and one at a high school. I will update you all once things settle down. Keep us in your thoughts...the last two days have been rough...