#MMM Rollin' Right Along

I'm joining in on a blog hop with The Gnome's Mom to share a little bit about the life I lead here. The Gnome's Mom is one of my favorite blogs to read and follow on a regular basis as well. If you're a blogger and would like to link up, feel free! And add us on Twitter with the hashtag #MMM

Well, I know Lori at The Gnome's Mom is extremely busy with her recent move, so we probably won't have a linky, but hopefully, we will get a few people to read! :)

Summer is in full swing here and around the country. My favorite part of summer JUST happened...I got to eat my first home-grown, vine-ripened tomato off my own vines! Seriously, I think there should be a tomato festival somewhere (other than the one in Spain, even though throwing tomatoes at people sounds thrilling). And I just finished my first half of my first tomato with just a dash of salt on it. I would have eaten the whole thing had Hubby not wanted half, but it is his right since he worked with them as much as I did. I don't mind. There will be more!

Over the weekend, I went to my 10-year high school reunion. It was great! Okay, the food was typical buffet-style, and we should have had some tunes, but the best part was hanging out with all my old friends. Seeing who changed (and who didn't) over the years as well as meeting their other halves and getting to know each others' families.

Thanks to my MIL, Fuss had her first overnight stay. Well, not her *first*. Her first was with my mom when she was 2 months old and I was too exhausted to know my head from my butt. I slept 12 hours that night and ended up engorged, but refreshed. Anyway, so Fuss stayed all night with my MIL and FIL on Friday. MIL told me she cried for Mommy and Daddy as she was falling asleep, but she was great otherwise. She didn't even have trouble with pottying! She did, however, have an accident and wet the bed first thing in the morning. I guess because it was a new house and she didn't know what to do. The best part of it is that she actually ASKED to go stay over with my mom and step-dad after we had dinner with them Sunday night! Apparently she enjoyed herself! :)

I am still working on getting a decent routine going between housework and work. It is really difficult to separate the two. At least I know one of them doesn't have a deadline! I managed to get Fuss's 2T clothes all boxed up for storage and her 3T clothes out to wear. This kid is growing way too fast for me. She honestly grew an inch in just over 2 weeks. And I am beginning to feel that guilt slip in now and then that I should be still focusing on her, enjoying taking her to the pool or for ice cream, instead of sitting inside all day during the week typing medical reports. It's dumb. I know it is. I know I'm working to provide a better home for her and, hopefully, a second baby for the future. But she doesn't understand. And I hate that look when she breaks down in tears because she just wants Mommy to play and I can't leave my work. THAT has got to be the hardest part of being a working mother, especially a work-at-home mom. I feel twinges of guilt that I have to have a sitter for half the week so I can work and Hubby can sleep. *I* should be the one playing in the sandbox with her or drawing on the sidewalk! It makes me sad and angry all at the same time. And I often wonder if it is really for the best. I hope so.

#SodaStream #Review

A couple months ago I received a Soda Stream to review thanks, in no small part, to my awesome readers! It has been great! We have tried everything from the water flavoring to the Root Beer. It took us FOR-E-VER to get through all those samples we were sent! LOL. However, we have really loved having the Soda Stream in our home and have even bought 2 extra bottles and several other flavors we found at our local Soda Stream Retailers (like the Country Time Iced Tea/Lemonade mix that my husband loved).

Fuss loves the Ginger Ale and the Orange Soda. You can see the orange soda on the top of the box and the ginger ale is on the left. My Step-Mom says the Cola Zero actually tastes like Coke Zero or Diet Coke. I admit that I don't like diet sodas at all due to the after taste, so I haven't tried it. I have, however, tried the preservative-free cola mix and it is my personal fave. It is more a cross between Coke and Pepsi, but it tastes really great!

Honestly, our only  problem came with the larger-topped bottles. We had a little more trouble pouring the syrups into the carbonated water with the larger caps than the smaller caps. I think the worst one is the root beer...Hubby made some and the first time he did it, apparently he poured too quickly. Once the root beer started to fizz up, it DIDN'T STOP! He had poured about 1/4 of the syrup in and it just started shooting out like a volcano! I am not kidding when I say it shot up a good 2 to 3 inches out of the bottle! Thankfully, he was already standing over the sink. Especially considering that it just kept going and going....about 2 minutes before the fizzing finally stopped! We were both laughing hysterically (me more than him) and every time he tried to add more syrup, it fizzed more! He had almost half the bottle gone before he was actually able to put the cap on! LMAO!

After almost 3 months of near-constant use we have still not run out of CO2 either. I did take a couple weeks off when on vacation and during the insane power outage, though. My guess is it would be around 2 months for normal use. My SIL uses hers to make seltzer water on a daily basis and can go through a canister in under 3 weeks, but she uses hers ALL. THE. TIME.

Again, I want to thank my followers for helping me get such a great product to review! I am proud to recommend the Soda Stream and really enjoy using it here at home for myself and, especially for guests who drink types of soda we don't normally drink. Plus, some of the other flavors can be used without adding carbonation to make some nice drinks (like the Country Time Lemonade and Tea).


***I received the product above in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation for this review.****

Wordless Wednesday

#MMM We Have Normality

I'm joining in on a blog hop with The Gnome's Mom to share a little bit about the life I lead here. The Gnome's Mom is one of my favorite blogs to read and follow on a regular basis as well. If you're a blogger and would like to link up, feel free! And add us on Twitter with the hashtag #MMM

"...we have normality, I repeat we have normality." - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Things have finally settled back down to our normal rhythms. Hubby is back on his normal work schedule and I think I finally have a decent routine with my new job. Fuss is enjoying her new sitter twice a week as well. Last Wednesday she even went potty for the sitter! (Our sitter is our next-door neighbor, so Fuss has known her since birth.) At least I only have to work for a few hours a day...only until about 2 p.m. if I don't work until Fuss is up at 9 or 10.

Today I actually spent the day with Blondie, Princess, and Charlie. We had such a good time (and I even got to go grab groceries while Blondie kept Fuss entertained) just hanging out and chatting. We definitely don't get to do that often enough!  The funniest part was Fuss and Charlie kissing each other. Fuss looked at me and said, "Mama, he kissed me!" and placed her finger on her lips! LOL. Blondie and I were dying! The worst part is going to be the upcoming teenage years! HA!

I made plans to take Fuss for a train ride soon as well. I hope she isn't afraid of it! I'm just glad we have a regular rhythm after all of the chaos of the last 2 weeks. I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that things remain calm for a while.

Oh! I also have my HS reunion this Friday, so that should be a lot of fun...plus a baby-free night!

#MMM Back From Oblivion

I'm joining in on a blog hop with The Gnome's Mom to share a little bit about the life I lead here. The Gnome's Mom is one of my favorite blogs to read and follow on a regular basis as well. If you're a blogger and would like to link up, feel free! And add us on Twitter with the hashtag #MMM

Okay, so not really oblivion, but close enough! Let's see here. June 25 I was able to post while on vacation. And, let me tell you, typing on a smart phone SUCKS! But Lori was able to link me in (because being on said "smart" phone, I couldn't link myself) that week. Fast forward through Sesame Place, Crayola Factory, and the trip home while milking our truck for all it was worth trying to keep the temperature down to a normal level, and we arrive 10 MINUTES before the biggest storm of the YEAR wipes out nearly all of the Tri-state area of West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. I swear, I wanted to turn around and drive my butt back to Philadelphia...of course, I don't think they had power either.

So, here goes the week of July 4th. Starting out with no power and little clean clothing because we had a week's worth of clothes with us in Philly for vacation. Fuss had NO underwear left and Hubby and I were almost out of socks and shorts. We are down to charging our cell phones in the car or going to the local US Cellular stores for their Ah-may-zing battery swap program. 500,000 people were out of power during this time and most were told it would be a week or more to get restoration underway. Our problem had nothing to do with the storm. Not a single line was broken on my street. What was it? A fuse. Took the guys 20 minutes to fix it by switching for a new and larger fuse. We waited a week. With a 2-year-old. My in-laws had power 2 days before we did (and they live up the street). My next door neighbor never lost power (on a different grid), so we were able to plug in our fridge to their outlets. Hubby's friend "Driver" let us borrow his generator for the rest. It was hot and humid all week. I guess I am just glad it wasn't worse. I mean, we could have lost more than power. So, I am very thankful for that. We also found out just what we can live without. A fan is NOT one of those things! LOL.

Now we come to last week. After the power outage screwing up my ability to log on and do work for a week, I got to start my new job on July 6. Last week was my first full week of work. I am loving it! My MIL had Fuss almost all day on Monday of last week while I was working. The thing that sucked was that I had almost 100 transcriptions to do and they ALL had to be done by 4 p.m. Central for review. I was learning the new system and trying to figure out exactly how everything was going to work. It has been quite a week there! Not to mention, that amidst all of this, I also was cleaning the house (that I couldn't clean with no power) and trying to get ready for my Dad's visit from NY on July 11. I was making myself crazy! At least, Dad stayed at a hotel, so I didn't have to worry about where they would sleep (Dad, Step-mom, and sister). Fuss had a great time with Grammy, Poppa, and RiRi while they were here. I wish we all lived closer for sure.

Finally, today...Dad left yesterday for his return trip to upstate NY. I think this was probably one of the best visits we've had in years. Hubby and I got to spend a lot of time with Dad and Step-mom as well as Ri. I am very excited to see them again in November. Today, I actually woke up with a migraine. Guess my hormones are going a little spastic on me since I went off the birth control (as of July 6). Even with the migraine I still managed to get 80 transcriptions done in about 6 hours. I'm really beginning to get the hang of the system and enjoying the work. I am still working on how to get everything scheduled and accomplished with this new role in my life. At least half the week Hubby can help me out. And we have my MIL watching Fuss on Mondays and my next-door neighbor watching her Tuesday and Wednesday so I can work. I know the schedule and all that will fall into place eventually. The last few weeks have been absolute chaos, so I am definitely looking forward to finding some kind of balance again.

Until next time...

Wordless Wednesday

Beating the heat during the power outage watching Brave. First theater movie ever!

#MMM Truly Frustrated

Well, in the true sense of Manic Mommy Monday, I have no home computer, no power, AND no sanity left. Made it home from vacation on Friday evening returning from Philadelphia to, what else, a freaking tornado! The airport just up from me reported 66-mile-an-hour winds and neighbors lost lots of trees during this insane storm. I am currently sitting at the library computer after realizing that I don't have enough cash on me to print my contract for work (which was supposed to start today) and I am so flustered I am about to scream. So, for today, that's it. I am going to attempt to take Fuss to see Brave this evening as long as I can manage to make it there before 6:30. I will be updating on our trip to Sesame Place, Crayola Factory, and Please Touch Museum whenever I finally have life back to some semblance of normal. Oh, and the kicker? Our truck has a blown head gasket...that we had to drive home with. Now, it's a 2,000-pound lawn ornament.

WELCOME HOME!

State of Emergency

We have no power and I am working from my phone. Not sure how long we'll be out of power but please bear with me! I'm so frustrated with everything going on right now.