Heart of the Matter

Dear Diary,

I finally got back in my groove. My reading groove that is! I find it rather pathetic that the book that has been displayed under my "Book Club" for months now, the same book that is sitting behind the playroom couch, has only had a chapter or two read out of it.

I found a book on sale at Target by the author I have grown to love. The only book left of her collection that I haven't read. I started it on vacation and while I didn't have a lot of spare time to myself, it managed to reel me in and make we want to finish it. I got obsessed, as I always do with her books, and I finished it quickly. Being a fast reader is a benefit when you are trying to do it between laundry, diaper changes, meals and following through with the kid's demands.

I found myself saying something that I wish someone could say about me - "I hope she never quits writing." She hasn't written a book I haven't loved. I think what I like about her is that she is so real. The books aren't anything special. They don't fascinate me, teach me a valuable lesson, or even contain subject matter that can be compared to my life. Most of her stories involve career driven women with cheating husbands or backstabbing best friends who shouldn't have been your friend in the first place. BUT, I cant seem to put her books down.

The main characters are always honest and relatable. They reveal small pieces of their lives that are beyond true, and I find myself constantly in awe at how right they always are. The reason I like her books so much is because I'd like to think that she writes in the way I would write if I was to write a book. Her sarcasm, the realness of her characters, and the vulnerability of the women in their relationships with friends, with men, and with their everyday life never leaves me bored or unsatisfied.  

I have always wanted to write a book. I even took creative writing courses in college, not because they counted towards my major, but simply because I had credit hours to fill up and instead of taking Camping 101, I decided to take something I actually cared about. I spent more time working on my writing classes than I did on my own major courses and the feedback I got from my writing teachers meant more to me than acing my senior portfolio, which probably should have told me something.

Besides not knowing where to start, having no clue how the process works or even having the spare time to devote to the task, I think confidence has kept me from even attempting to write more than a blog post here and there. I know I am nowhere near as good as an Emily Giffin, but I can't help but wonder what it would be like to have someone say, "I hope she never quits writing," and be talking about me. Maybe some day...

Until then I will wait patiently for Emily to write more books and for other authors to fill in the gaps as I hope to get back in my reading groove. There are many more books sitting on shelves that are just waiting to be read. I'll get to them eventually!

Sincerely Yours,

North Carolina Vacation Recap

Dear Diary,

Well, I am elbows deep in laundry but I thought I'd take a second to write about our first big family vacation - full of packing, plane rides, family, fun and food! Want the play-by-play? You got it! =)


The Packing

Thanks to my famous checklists, I now consider myself a packing genius. Everything packed just as I hoped it would, one bag weighing in just 1 pound under that 50 pound limit. My fear of losing our luggage didn't happen and believe me, I got to hear all about my negative attitude from my husband. I was just sure SOMETHING would get lost or damaged, but to my surprise, all made it there and back safely.


The Flight Out

I am definitely a "glass half empty" kind of girl considering I also expected the worst with our first plane ride with two kids under two. Actually four kids under two if you count our traveling buddies, the Hagues. We were the families that everyone tries to avoid when it comes to flying. We each had our lap babies and, due to the number of oxygen masks per aisle, we were unable to sit by each other. All for one and one for all as we each grabbed window seats, one behind the other.

The kids did VERY well. Surprisingly well. I couldn't believe we touched down in North Carolina without a diaper explosion, cry-fest, hysterical fit or death glares from all those traveling with us. I can't speak for the Hagues but our 3 hour drive to Emerald Isle from the airport was a breeze as well as we pulled into the beach house driveway just in time for dinner!


The Beach

Okay, so I had high hopes for this vacation in terms of Addalyn loving the ocean, enjoying a dip in the pool and running wild on the beach. This could not have been farther from the truth. The poor girl took her first step in sand and instantly wanted Daddy to pick her up. She clung to him like no tomorrow and there was NOTHING convincing her to dip even a toe in the ocean water. We hoped she'd get used to it but digging in the sand and searching for sea shells was as good as it was going to get for her. Understandably so I suppose considering the ocean is pretty intimidating, especially for a little girl.

The pool wasn't her cup of tea either, which may have been due to the water being a little chilly OR because she almost killed herself after she fell in. YES, she took a little dive, fully dressed, after reaching for a toy along the edge. Lifeguard Garrett jumped in from across the pool and got her out. Needless to say, we weren't surprised the pool wasn't her favorite place to be the rest of the vacation.

This would be Addy screaming when Daddy put her down

Addy enjoying the sand, FAR from the water

Our little shell finder, working hard for her shell collection

 Olivia, has no idea where she was but at least she's sporting her suit

The House

The house was great! We fit 20+ people in for a week of fun and relaxation. Okay, let me clarify, when you have two kids to keep up with, nowhere is relaxing, but it was nice nonetheless. We got to fall asleep and wake up to the sounds and sights of the ocean out our sliding glass door in our bedroom.

Everyone chipped in to make dinners for the week, Megan and I taking on Mexican night. I was a little nervous cooking for that big of a group but unless they were lying, they seemed to enjoy everything. As far as the rest of the dinners for the week - DELICIOUS! If nothing else, we ate well while we were there, that's for sure!


The Family Time

Garrett's family has been taking this vacation for years, this being my third time to join in on the fun. North Carolina replaced our usual destination of South Carolina and I have to say, it was just as good! But anywhere is fun when you are with a group like the Ciardullo clan. I can't speak for everyone but I know The Forsythe's enjoyed themselves. I won't bore you non-family members with stories you won't care about or jokes you wont understand, but just know that you should be jealous that you aren't a member of this crazy, fun and interesting group! =)



The Vacationing

It is a little embarrassing that I left with no tan and I have returned with hardly even a glow to my skin. We went to the beach for a week and spent little time out in the sun. Why, you ask? Well when you have two kids at such a young age, it's difficult for a number of reasons. Between feeding a baby every 3 hours, shelling out 3 meals to a toddler, cleaning up that toddler, nap times, bath time and bedtime - there leaves little time for laying out and catching some sun. One child was afraid of the water, the other child couldn't be in the sun for too long, and both kids needed their naps during the day.

I wasn't that bummed about not getting the great tan I normally get on a beach vacation. To be honest, I looked forward to that 7:00PM mark every evening when I could add alcohol to my drink and enjoy a cocktail, or two. Something else you have to plan while nursing is your alcohol intake. I kept a couple extra bottles handy and once I got that 6:00 feeding out of the way, I was golden for the rest of the night, pumping and tossing before bed! I didn't have a sea turtle night like I did the last family vacation we attended (Carrie and Megan know what I am talking about) but I enjoyed my drinks here and there just as much.

The week went quickly, as I imagined it would. But, as with all getaways, we were ready to be home and in our own beds.


The Flight Home

I was actually thinking positive as we headed home yesterday, considering our trip to NC went so well. Our bags weren't the perfect weight of course so we had to do a little redistribution, but with one 47 pound bag and one 49 pound bag, we were on our way.

I didn't plan out Olivia's feeding schedule like I did on our trip there. I was just hoping she would eat before or after we boarded the plane, or during our 2 hour layover in Nashville. The first leg of the flight went well for everyone, however the last leg into KC wasn't the perfect ending I was hoping for. Olivia was due to eat about 30 minutes before we landed but I was HOPEFUL that she would hold out until we got off the plane. She had different thoughts. She got restless and started to cry. I got nervous as I searched for my nursing cover and tried to get her to eat as quickly as possible. With the combination of her hunger growing and my anxiety of trying to get her to calm down to eat, we had a bit of a meltdown. She finally ate a bit and fell back asleep but it made me feel like I was the person on the flight that everyone was looking at.

The nicest mother behind me reached her hand forward and patted my arm and Olivia's during the episode and told me it was okay, that she had four girls of her own, and not to worry about it. It's funny how a complete stranger can say the exact thing you need to hear at the exact time you need to hear it. I instantly felt better and realized that a 10 minute cry session out of the entire trip is nothing to hang my head about!


The Conclusion

Besides Addy hating the ocean, our final flight to KC not being perfect, having to work around two kids and Garrett chipping a tooth at dinner (that's an entirely different story, but needed to be mentioned at least once in my recap, haha), our family vacation was a success! I am looking forward to going back in another 2 years when the girls are older and a little easier to travel and vacation with. Addy will hopefully overcome her fear and Olivia will actually know where she is.

Thanks everyone for another memorable "Fripp" trip!

Sincerely Yours,

Twizzlers, Yum!

Dear Diary,

Well today is kind of a weird, ordinary day around here. Instead of taking today off like everyone else, Garrett decided to work so he could take Friday off instead and help pack and get ready for vacation. It's just the girls and I today as usual, but I'll be thankful to have his help on Friday. My organizational skills are going to be in full force as I prepare 4 people for a week at the beach!

Addy is watching Elmo and Olivia is asleep (weird) so I am going to take a few minutes to enjoy my laptop and write about my little life. Will this entry have a point? Probably not, but enjoy anyway!

Sleeeeeep. I love sleep. And I especially love sleeping in a childless room for a good 8-9 hours, uninterrupted. Once again I've got a good sleeper on my hands. Not sure how I have gotten so lucky, twice, but I have. Olivia is in her own crib in Addy's room and she's sleeping like a champ. She goes down around 10:00pm and she wakes up around 6:00 or 7:00am! Hopefully before long she'll go down a little earlier in the evenings but until then, I'll be happy with this little routine we've got going!

I never had issues with Walmart when I lived in Pittsburg. I did most of my grocery shopping there actually. I don't know if it's because I HATE how our Shawnee Walmart is set up, or because I have other options, but I DO NOT like going into that store...so I don't. I shop at our Price Chopper for grocery's and at Target for anything else I need. We did have to go there this weekend however and I was reassured at how much I actually hate that place. I feel dirty as soon as I walk in the door, I immediately encounter someone who thinks their business needs to be every one's business, and our checker might be the most unpleasant lady I have ever had to speak to in my life. What are their problems? The checkers at my Price Chopper are doing the exact same job and they are as nice as can be! Shawnee Walmart, you suck.

It is an understatement to say that I LIKE Bite Sized Cherry Twizzlers. It is more accurate to say I am OBSESSED. Fruit-like snacks are normally not my snack of choice. If I was standing in the candy aisle and could pick one thing it would probably be chocolate and it would definitely have peanut butter involved. But, I no longer have the luxury of picking whatever I want unless I want to make a sacrificial trade-off of numerous points. What points am I referring to? Well those would be Weight Watchers points. I can have a whopping 17 delicious Bite Sized Cherry Twizzlers for a mere 2 points. Needless to say I've gone through my fair share of bags. This light snack has done me well - 33 pounds lost since I brought Olivia home from the hospital, and 20 of those pounds have been from WW! I'll keep on counting those points...

Packing. Ugh. I do it all the time for our little trips to Pittsburg but this is going to be a bit different. One husband, two kids, and me - all trying to fit our things for a week at the beach in as few suitcases as possible. The good news - comfortable, loungy clothes fold pretty tight. Bad news - toys do not. I am going to cross my fingers that the number of new faces, the fun of the beach, and books can keep my child entertained for 7 days. Besides the fear over our first plane ride with two kids, the anxiety of breastfeeding in public and the anticipation that our family will hate us after being around so many small children for a week, we are REALLY excited about this trip! The last time we went on our Fripp trip, they were throwing us a mock bridal shower! (We were much more tan and much more thin back then, sigh) So we are definitely ready to get back to the ocean this year! And who knows, maybe the flight will be a piece of cake, no one will even notice I am breastfeeding my baby under that blanket and all the children will be little angels all week! At least there will be plenty of alcohol =)

Happy Memorial Day Everyone! And a BIG thanks to all the military today and every day! And, as always, I am keeping Joplin in my prayers!

Sincerely Yours,

Oprah...

Dear Diary,

I had plans today to do some cleaning, finish up some projects and take a shower. Then we got tornado sirens and instead of doing the things I needed to be doing, I spent the rest of my day watching the news, something I have have done more in the last few days than I have my entire life.

I did, however, flip from the news station at 4:00 to watch the final episode of Oprah. Anyone else disappointed?

Now, granted, I have not been a faithful Oprah follower for her 25 years (I am only 25 myself) nor have I even been a faithful follower in my adult years. I can't even say I have seen every episode this season, BUT I do catch it now and again and try to watch when the topic interests me.

For some reason I was pretty excited to watch the last three episodes this week. The Spectacular on Monday and Tuesday were pretty "action" packed. I am sure her ultimate fans were not disappointed as there were celebs coming out of every corner and touching moments right and left - My favorite being when Kristin Chenoweth came out to sing "For Good" as 300 of the men who have received the Oprah Winfrey scholarship at Moorehouse College lit up the dark United Center with the candles they were holding as they walked up to the stage.

I don't know what I was expecting her final show to be like today, but it just didn't do much for me. I felt like she was a motivational speaker that I was forced to listen to for extra credit points or something. While her messages were good, they seemed very rehearsed (which they probably were) and kind of, I don't know, repetitive.

I guess I wanted more tears, more "in-the moment" moments and maybe even one of those cheesy video's set to music with all the shining highlights of the past 25 years. To be honest, I enjoyed the credits the most, when Oprah walked off stage to meet all the members of her crew, standing shoulder to shoulder, giving her hugs as she traveled back to her office for the last time.

I guess it's good I have more important things occupying my thoughts than Oprah's final show, or else I'd be really disappointed.

May God continue to be with the people of Joplin.

Sincerely Yours,

Pray For Joplin

Dear Diary,

I just can't seem to shake this uneasy feeling. What has happened in Joplin, MO has had such an impact on me, as it has had on many of you reading this I am sure. Lucky for me, all that I know and love are safe and many that I know are volunteering their time in Joplin, using their talents to help in any way that they can.

If there is a positive out of this tragedy, which there really isn't, but if there is then I'd have to say it has been quite the wake-up call for me. We have spent years and years listening to tornado sirens, and rarely did we take them seriously. Half the time we were outside, hoping to catch a glimpse. And as much as I am ashamed to admit it, I loved being in the middle of the storm, the sirens and the possibility of a tornado. The words, "I hope a tornado comes," has come out of my mouth several times and I recall numerous storms where I sat looking outside my parents bedroom window "hoping" a tornado could be seen in the distance.

No, I didn't hope for damage or hope my house was flattened or my community torn to shreds - I was ignorant and curious and, like many people like me, I wanted to see something so incredible in person. Needless to say, I have changed my tune...

It is sad to me that it took something so close to home to finally register with me. Just last month, tornado's tore through the south, killing hundreds, and although it didn't go unnoticed, it didn't impact me like it should have. Just Saturday night we had sirens go off here in KC. What did we do? Well we sat in our bed watching the news for a few minutes. Then we rolled our eyes and debated on getting the girls out of bed. By the time the second or third sirens started we slowly got the girls up and slowly made our way to the basement. Not to mention we weren't even in the safe part of the basement where we should have been if a storm hit. What if that was Sunday night in Joplin, MO? We would have been amongst those who have lost their lives all because we didn't move fast enough or get in the safest part of our house.

Joplin is 30 miles from our hometown. It is the place we all travel to for shopping, a nice dinner out or just to get away for the day. I can't tell you how many trips I have made to and from Joplin and to think of what it looks like now is just too much to grasp.

My heart breaks for all those affected by this tragedy. I think of those who didn't survive, those who did survive but lost everything, those that still can't be found, those who are injured and fighting to survive, those who were lucky to not get hit but have family and friends that did, and all of those who are there, getting their hands dirty, and doing whatever they can to help as many people as possible.

This has been horrible for so many people and I just cant stop thinking about it. Prayers, prayers and more prayers are needed for today and many days to follow. I hope the severe weather that is predicted for today doesn't produce the tornado's it is capable of. Too much has happened already.

May the Lord be with all of the people of Joplin, MO. Donations are being accepted all over the area so if you can, send something to help the thousands of people who need it. And most importantly, keep praying.

Sincerely Yours,

Yep, That's My Kid

Dear Diary,

Remember before you had kids when you'd be out in public, either a restaurant, a store or even a sporting event, and there was always that kid that wouldn't stop screaming or crying and his/her parents were just going about their business like they didn't hear a thing? And remember thinking, "Oh my gosh, I cant believe those parents have no control over their kids. I will NEVER have a child like that." And do you even remember thinking that if that was YOUR kid, he/she would be out in the car by now with a spanked butt?

It's funny isn't it? As a teenager you think you have all the answers. I'd like to go back and ask my teenage self what I would do in a situation like I faced on Tuesday afternoon.

Dear Teenage "know-it-all" Lindsey, since you are SO smart, how do you handle a crabby, crying, fit-throwing 20 month old in the middle of Hobby Lobby when she INSISTS on having milk and WONT stop crying for it. What would you do, oh so intelligent teenage Lindsey, when Hobby Lobby isn't a milk store and you can't just pull milk off the shelf to give to your completely devastated daughter. And please, oh so wise Lindsey, what is the best answer when you are pushing two kids around a store and you HAVE to finish shopping because you wont be able to come back before they close at 8:00PM and no matter how many ways you try to calm her down you cant. What would YOU do?

Is it obvious this wasn't a good outing for us? Yes, that was MY kid in Hobby Lobby on Tuesday and there was nothing I could do to stop the madness. I want to apologize for all those times in my ignorant years when I thought badly about some poor parent who couldn't calm her kid down. Little did I know that sometimes, no matter how "good" of a parent you are or how "well mannered" your kid usually is or how "strongly" you threaten them to stop saying milk over and over and OVER again, sometimes you just have be THAT parent who continues their shopping as quickly as possible while their kid is THAT kid that wont shut up.

Long story short: I think we are hitting "Terrible-Two's" and I am not ready for it!

Sincerely Yours,

Talk Show Junkie

Dear Diary,

I feel like, as a Stay-At-Home Mom, I have an obligation to be a "Soap Opera" junkie. Well I have failed, and instead of filling my head with tragic love story drama on a daily basis, I spend my time being a "Talk Show" junkie.

A new talk show has recently sparked my interest. When I saw the publicity for TheTalk my first thought was, "How ridiculous. They are 'The View' wannabes." I swore I wouldn't watch it. Well one afternoon, during my favorite time of the day, nap time, I caught the beginning of the show and decided to stick it out and see what it was made of.

Conclusion? I like it. It is like The View minus the bickering between Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the "never know if she's going to show up" Barbara Walters, the sometimes funny Sherri Shepherd and the "Oh my gosh, get the hair out of your face" Whoopi Goldberg.

Like The View, The Talk has 5 women who sit around a table discussing topics, followed by a celebrity or two who comes out for an interview. But, unlike The View, the topics are less debatable, and more charming. It's like 5 girlfriend sitting around a table rather than 5 women who more or less hate each other but want to get a paycheck.

The hosts include Sara Gilbert (star of Roseanne, aka Darlene), Sharon Osbourne (outspoken wife to Ozzy), Holly Robinson Peete (actress from Hangin' With Mr. Cooper), Julie Chen (host of Big Brother and wife to CEO of CBS Television. Wonder how she scored this gig?) and my favorite Leah Remini (I suppose you know her as the star of The King of Queens but I'll always think of her as Stacey Carosi from Saved By The Bell, the beach club years).

I have to say I have enjoyed watching it. One minute they can be discussing childhood obesity and with one quick fart joke from Leah or cuss word from Sharon, they are laughing and moving onto the next topic. Sure, it has its "View-like" moments, and to be honest Julie Chen bugs me about half the time, but I'll take it over The View any day.

Regis and Kelly still keep me company with my coffee in the morning until Addy makes me turn it to Sesame Street. And Oprah grabs my attention now and then with an interesting episode. And OF COURSE, The Ellen Degeneres Show does not get missed. She will always be my favorite. But, The Talk has now made its way onto my list of tolerable talk shows! Congratulations ladies!

Sincerely Yours,