Mommy Musings

Okay, so I'm not stupid.  I knew  that Florida is known for passing storms in June.  I've been there for a few myself.  It goes from a bright sunny day to a torrential downpour in a matter of minutes.  But after about 20 minutes the storms pass and you're back in the sunshine.  I thought I was prepared.  We had ponchos and umbrellas...we were safe right?  Ummn no.  Sometimes you have huge thunderstorms that shut down everything and refuse to leave for hours at a time.  But you're already in Disney?  What you should do?  Here's what I learned. {one} Make sure everyone has their own poncho.  I saw a few people in actual rain coats, but it is so hot and muggy that those looked like torture.  Sure covering yourself in plastic is not the most pleasant {or attractive} thing in the world, but it helps keep you dry and they don't add any more heat to your body. {two} Have a few umbrellas with you.  Yes, the ponchos help,...

I always get antsy this time of year.  Christmas and the bustle and magic of the holidays are over.  There are a few exciting football games left, but even those will be over soon.  And we're still knee deep in winter, spring still too far away to get excited about. I get super whiny when it's cold.  Super whiny .  I feel like my hands are always freezing and I would much rather sit under a blanket in my heat than bundle everyone up and head out.  I eat way more in the winter and workouts are harder to get motivated for.  The grief we have been dealing with over the past year seems to engulf me at more regular intervals now.  I suffer from insomnia much more frequently than when it's warm out.  I absolutely believe I have a touch of seasonal depression every year.  Indoor tanning used to help {judge away} but I know the dangers and don't do that any more.  I long to just pack up my family and drive south until I hit the much wa...

We have had a lot of storms around here recently...a lot.  In fact it's raining on top of some freshly fallen snow right now!  And everytime I tell people I want to move to Florida, they remind me of all the hurricanes they have down there.  But we have them up in Jersey now too!!  So much so, I've written up a little post about how to prepare for a hurricane. - As SOON as you hear about a possible storm, hit the store...even if the storm won't be there for a few days. The closer the storm gets, the crazier the stores are and the more they run out of things. You'll want to buy: flashlights, candles, non perishable food. A gallon of water per person per day since you might not have running water. You'll need wood if you have a fireplace, plenty of diapers, wipes, formula, snacks for the kids. Lots and lots of batteries for your flashlights. Skip and I now stock up on those year round. - Fill up any car you have with a full tank of gas before the storm. TRUST ...

I feel like I'm practically best friends with the local weather man since I've spent so much time watching him this year.  I'm dubbing 2011-2013 the years of the storms .  So of course winter won't relinquish its hold on us without a giant snowstorm send-off. Thankfully this weekend's storm didn't knock out our power, which is really all I care about.  I can deal with the 15" of snow as long as we're all toasty warm.  And really , there are few things in life cuter than my girls all bundled up like giant marshmallows to go play in the snow. A lot of other places, especially Connecticut, were really hit hard by the storm, and they are in my continued prayers.  Hope you all get power back and can dig out soon!! Of course today, as I was headed out to warm up the car before taking Emmy to school, I fell down our front steps.  It had been icing for a few hours and really did a number on the roads and sidewalks.  I took that fall as a a sign to keep ...

As you know, the devastation caused by hurricane Sandy has really been on my heart a lot recently, and I've been trying to do all I can to help. I texted my $10 to the Red Cross . I got my Restore the Shore t-shirt. I donated diapers, perishable food, etc to those in need. I've been constantly praying. But I want to keep doing more, as we are a long way from the end of this recovery.  So 100% of the ad spot revenue I receive until January 1st will go directly to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund .  All you you have to do is click on my PR and Sponsorship tab at the top of the page and purchase the ad you want! It's really a win win for all.  I can help you get more traffic to your site or business, and you'll be helping out a great cause!  Please feel free to contact me with any questions!

There are so many things I want and need to blog about, but today the only thing on my mind is the Nor'easter heading straight for the tristate area.  High winds, rain, snow, we're going to get it all.  400,000 people in NJ alone still don't have power, and they are predicting many more will lost it again.  This is really going to set back the recovery effort and cause more damage.  So while I hope to be back to regular blogging this week {well I guess that will depend on whether or not I lose power} but today all I can do is pray that we don't lose more than we already have!  So if you can, I ask you say a quick prayer for NJ and the whole tri-state area.  We really do appreciate it so much. And to all those still in Jersey, about to weather this storm?  Remember to "Keep Calm and Stay Jersey Strong."  Sidenote, I would love for someone to make a shirt out of this saying...let me know if you see any! 

The only way the tri-state area is going to be able to start rebuilding is with your help.  Here are some ways you can help out your NJ/NY friends! For more than 30 years, AmeriCares work has been characterized by caring, passion, competence, timely response, and the effective delivery of aid and saving lives. Because we deliver donated medicines and medical supplies to an established and trusted network of locally based clinics, hospitals, and health care providers around the world, the impact of supporters’ contributions is multiplied many, many times over. Historically, for every dollar donated we are able to deliver $25 in humanitarian relief to people in need. {Thanks Allie!} The Red Cross has been here in the tri-state area since Sandy first hit.  And so, it has become an easy, great way to donate money to help those in need.  Just head over to their homepage and donate! If you're looking to donate to New Jersey specifically, you know, since it's my home and ...

New Jersey is still trying to recover from the devastating hurricane we had last week.  Many people still don't have power, and with temperatures reaching down into the low 30's and 20's, the situation is getting dangerous.  Twelve counties are under gas restrictions, and people have had to wait in line for ours to fill up their tanks.  And were the lucky ones up here in the north.  Cause down the Jersey Shore?  The destruction is unlike anyone has ever seen. A few miles north of Atlantic City is a small island called Long Beach Island, or LBI.  It is 18 miles of perfection.  It is the place my parents met, the place I spent every summer at, the best place in the world in my opinion.  I've been to Europe and the Caribbean, but nothing holds a special place in my heart like LBI.  And LBI isn't like the typical Jersey shore I'm sure a lot of you imagine.  There's no boardwalk or questionable people creating problems.  MTV never s...

In a storm as devastating as Sandy, sometimes even being the most prepared person can't help you.  But for those of us who were not hit as badly, the preparation helped a tremendous amount.  Now that I've been through two hurricanes in the past year, I'm getting to be a bit of an expert on what is needed and what is not.  Here's what has worked for me! - As SOON as you hear about a possible storm, hit the store...even if the storm won't be there for a few days.  The closer the storm gets, the crazier the stores are and the more they run out of things.  You'll want to buy: flashlights, candles, non perishable food.  A gallon of water per person per day since you might not have running water.  You'll need wood if you have a fireplace, plenty of diapers, wipes, formula, snacks for the kids.  Lots and lots of batteries for your flashlights.  Skip and I now stock up on those year round. - Fill up any car you have with a full tank of gas befor...

When we lost power on Monday, I knew it would be for the long hall.  During huge storms even less than this, we lose power for days.  Thankfully we lost power right before the girls went to bed Monday night, so they got to sleep through a lot of it.  But no light, heat, TV, Internet gets a little old with the under four crowd sometimes.  And there were too many downed trees and wires outside, so we couldn't even take them out.  Other than an outing to my besties house on Wednesday to shower and warm up, this is how we spent our time!     Watching them cut up a giant fallen tree   Taking pictures   Taking more pictures   Warm and stylish!!! {it was COLD in the house by the last day}   Playing with buttons {don't worry it wasn't on}   Finding creative ways to keep the baby away from the space heater   Wearing the ugliest/warmest clothes you can find   Unless you're my husband who wears only a t-shirt when it...

There's so much to say about Hurricane Sandy and what we went through, that's it's hard to know where to start.  So I'll just start back in the beginning. Now I have this weird obsession with the weather.  Always have.  Natural disasters are like car accidents for me, I can't help but watch.  So I'd been watching coverage of Sandy for weeks. And honestly, I really didn't think they were blowing it out of proportion.  We'd lived through hurricanes and weird weather up here before.  This was going to be epic.  A hurricane combined with a Nor'easter combined with a cold front and the lowest barometric pressure recorded.  We know how to deal with storms up here...this was unlike anything anyone had ever seen. Skip and I spent the weekend getting everything ready....bought plenty of food and water..picked up everything off the floor of the basement...filled up the generator and our cars with gas...brought in everything from outside.  And then we w...