Linda's World

Hancock Review

2008-07-02T19:43:00.003-04:00

As promised, here is my opinion of the new movie "Hancock"

The movie is about a superhero named "Hancock". Because he is often drunk and/or hung over when the call to action comes, he causes as much trouble as he prevents. The public, while grateful to have a super hero, is less than happy with the damage that Hancock seems to invoke while getting the job done.

One of the people he rescues decides that he is going to help the superhero clean up his act.

I actually enjoyed this movie as did the kids. As a matter of fact, Justin would like to buy the movie when it comes out on video. It is definately worth seeing.

Today

2008-07-01T20:59:00.003-04:00

Today I spent the day alternating between Shari's and Michelle's houses. After everything was said and done, I didn't get to spend much time with either one of them. (those involved know why). Justin particularly enjoyed playing handball INSIDE Michelle's house. Good thing Ronnie doesn't read this blog or he would not be happy.

Tomorrow it is off to the movies with Justin and his friend. We plan to see the new movie that just came out "Hancock". I hope it is worthwhile. I will write my review of the movie tomorrow.

Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery

2008-07-01T10:09:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I took Justin and some of his cousins to the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery. The favorite attraction was the two headed turtle. They actually were conjoined twins.

Then we spent time at Heckscher Park. They especially liked the various ducks, swans and other birds in the lake.

And the day wouldn't be complete for the kids without a trip to their favorite fast food restaurant.

Then back to our place where they played twister, volleyball and other various things. They all had a great day.

Fireworks

2008-06-29T11:51:00.002-04:00

The fireworks at the fair were awesome last night. Almost but not quite as good as Disney's fireworks display. We will be sure to go next year too!

Good grades for Justin

2008-06-28T00:10:00.011-04:00

Justin came home from school with the Principal's award for academic excellence. Also, Justin has once again made the Principal's list. The Principal's list is for those that have at an average of 95 or better.

We won't know his exact average until his report card gets sent home, but we figured it out ourselves and it looks like it is going to be very close to being a 100 average. We are very proud of him.

Festival is tonight

2008-06-27T16:21:00.004-04:00

Tonight we will be attending the annual festival at St. Anthony's. This year will be a little different as Walter isn't going this year.

I am planning on meeting a bunch of the other moms at a specified time and will stay with them. Justin and the other kids will have much more freedom this year to roam around as they are older now.

Tomorrow night we aren't going to the festival again, but we will be watching the fireworks from a location nearby.

If anybody is looking for something to do this evening, you may want to consider coming to the festival. It's always a lot of fun!

Happy 12th Birthday to Justin!!

2008-06-24T20:52:00.010-04:00

Well, tomorrow is the big day - Justin's birthday! I can't believe he is going to be 12 years old. Time really does fly, that's for sure.

We are going to see a movie during the day and taking him to Gasho of Japan at night with his friends. Last weekend we surprised him at the Cheesecake factory and had the staff come out and sing to him. We plan to do the same thing again at Gasho (good thing he doesn't read my blog or the jig would be up).

He keeps trying to find his gifts. He knows they are around here somewhere. I think when he sees his gifts, he will be one happy kid. And finals are over as well, so what could be better.

Playstation 2 sold

2008-06-23T10:42:00.004-04:00

Well that was quick. The PlayStation 2 is sold already. Now all I have to do is ship it out.

Moving on, today Justin has school for only a few hours. Then we are off to go bowling.

Before that time I am going to try to book our summer vacation. I have procrastinated long enough. Even now, I am procrastinating by writing this blog.

Who (or what) ate our tomato

2008-06-22T14:57:00.006-04:00

Everyone has heard in the news that tomatoes are being pulled off the shelves and are being banned in some restaurants due to the recent salmonella scare. So I was confident with the knowledge that I was growing tomatoes in my garden. At least we would have "some" tomatoes. So soon enough, there it was - the first tomato. Justin wanted to pick it and I said to wait another day thinking it would get bigger.

So the next day we go out to get the now scarce commodity and what do you know - something had eaten most of it. All that was left was a quarter of it. I wonder if it was those raccoons that came the other night - or maybe it was the rabbits that come to visit - or the squirrels - we have lots of them -Birds-well I don't think birds eat tomatoes but I could be wrong. We have tons of other wildlife such as chipmunks that come around from time to time. Maybe one of them was the guilty culprit.

Very disappointing. So now we have our eye on another tomato that is just about ready to be picked. Will we get to it before the thief? We'll see.

2008-06-21T14:55:00.004-04:00

Girls night was great last night. Now it's on to a new day.

This morning Justin informed me he wants to sell the Playstation 2 and all the games (I was wondering what would be next with him - now I know). He wants to get something else instead.

So I have spent much time this morning listing the Playstation 2 and each game for sale. Now lets see how we do.

Later we will be meeting Shari and family at the Cheesecake Factory and also for a stroll around the mall.

In the meantime, It's time to study for finals with Justin. He really doesn't even need to study as he has a photographic memory, but it is good for him to get into the habit of studying for when he gets into the higher grades. Just a few more finals to go and then it's all over.

Girls night tonight.

2008-06-20T19:22:00.004-04:00

Well, I made it through today's adventures. Everything turned out fine. Now I am off to a girl's night at one of the mother's houses. I am bringing my favorite - a chocolate pudding pie. Looks like Wally will be in charge tonight.

It seems like I have been going to a lot of these "girls nights" lately. Oh well, I certainly don't mind.

The road to independence has begun!

2008-06-19T21:48:00.005-04:00

Well, it finally happened. I have kept Justin close by my side for 12 years now (on Wednesday it will be 12 years) but now he is venturing out on his own. Just like that - he called me from school and asked if he could walk with his friends to Friendly's after school tomorrow!!

It kind of took me by surprise and after a lot of calls back and forth to the parents of the other kids involved with the proposed visit to Friendly's, we decided that it was a bit too far for them to walk (especially for the first time) and that one of the parents would drop off the kids and another one would take them home. The kids will stay at Friendly's by themselves and order a meal themselves and pay themselves.

I really am not ready for this, but then again I probably never will be so I am going to let him do it. He needs to be independent from me and this is his first step towards that goal.

Afterwards the kids are all coming back here. Then I realized we don't have enough X-box controllers so the kids will bring x-tra ones. I guess we now know at least one thing Justin needs for his birthday.

One thing in life that we can count on is change. Things always change, and this is the beginning of a change. There will be much more to come. For example, the other day, a kid sent Justin a text message. Then he sent another and another. Previously the only thing Justin used his cell phone for was to call me. First, text messages, then lunch out with friends - I wonder what the next new thing will be? I am sure I won't have to wait long to find out.

Reward redemption time.

2008-06-19T08:47:00.005-04:00

Well it looks like I will be making a few extra visits to Borders soon. Just for using my charge card, I was able to get a reward of a $50.00 gift card to borders. As far as I am concerned, that's not a bad reward for doing nothing more than using my charge card for purchasing items that I would have purchased anyway.

It may be well worth it to check out your charge card to see if you are entitled to any perks. If your card does not offer "rewards", it may be time to look into switching to another card.

Their back . . .

2008-06-16T23:25:00.006-04:00

Every year, once the lights go out at night, racoons seem to gravitate to our garbage pails. This year is no exception. The big crash I just heard was a racoon trying to get into our garbage pails. I looked outside and sure enough, there he was. He ran away when I turned the light on, but now he is back. This is a picture of last years racoon.

What could that racoon want in the pail that seems so enticing? Let me think - well I threw out a steak today that was too big for Justin to finish - maybe that's it. We had leftover chicken from the Spare Rib that I threw out as well. If I had a dog I could just give the leftovers to the dog and not throw them in the pail, but I don't have a dog.

And these racoons always stay for the whole summer. I wonder where they go during the day. Its kind of creepy because I plan on having a very late night on Friday (going out with the girls). I hope that racoon isn't there when I get home.

Wally's new "toy"

2008-06-15T21:15:00.006-04:00

Among other gifts he got, Wally got a new "toy" for Father's day. Don't ask me what it is because I don't exactly know. I do know it has something to do with the computer, I know it was expensive, and I know it could be used instead of a mouse. Whatever it is, he seems to really like it and he says it will really help him when it comes to doing work in Photoshop. I am glad he got something he liked.

Father's day dinner

2008-06-14T16:24:00.005-04:00

Well, we are off to celebrate Walter's and my brother-in law Sals, Father's day with a delicious dinner at the Spare Rib. There is one dish in particular that Walter loves at that place so it seems appropriate that we go. We find it is always best to go a day before the actual holiday as it is less crowded.

Baseball and a pizza party.

2008-06-14T08:49:00.003-04:00

Well, we are off to the next to last game of baseball and then a pizza party given by the coaches. It's been a memorable season, that's for sure; but it's time to move on to other activities.

It's Free!

2008-06-13T12:13:00.002-04:00

In honor of Father's Day, TCBY is giving dads a free small cup or cone of frozen yogurt all day Sunday. For locations visit http://tcby.com/

Lots of sun

2008-06-09T22:27:00.002-04:00

Boy, the heat really takes a lot out of you. I sat in the sun watching Justin's game tonight and feel really tired now. Well I guess all the running around and shopping I did earlier didn't help either.

End of a sizzler weekend

2008-06-08T20:12:00.004-04:00

Wow, when they said it would be hot this weekend, I didn't expect it would be this hot. It was quite a feat sitting in the sun for hours both on Saturday and Sunday at Justin's little league game. At least we have a lot of friends on the team so spending time with the other parents makes the time pass really quickly.

On the bright side, we are all becoming quite tan sitting in the sun at game after game this season - even Justin who naturally has the whitest complexion of any kid I know.

At least after the game today Justin got to go swimming for the first time this season. (Thanks for having us over, Bren).

And tomorrow evening where do you think we are going - that's right - another little league game! Oh well, it's hot but at least the kids are having fun.

All that sun this weekend knocked me out. I think I will be calling it an early night tonight. Tomorrow's another day.

The weekend is here

2008-06-06T16:55:00.004-04:00

Well, I absolutely loved the "Sex and the City" movie just like I thought I would. To anybody who has been a fan of the series, I would recommend that you see it. I actually know some people who just bought dvd's of the whole series (you know who you are).

Tomorrow, bright and early we have a game and the same for Sunday. At least it won't be as hot as it would be later on in the day.

After the game, we planned on going to the beach, but I think we would do better to go swimming in a pool, so that's exactly what we will be doing (if everything goes as planned).

Justin is at his friend's house now and will be eating dinner there, so everything is pretty peaceful. It seems hard to believe that he will be 12 in just a few short weeks. For his birthday he will be going to his favorite restaurant with a few of his friends - and us of course - (Gasho of Japan) as he has done for the past few years. I still can't figure out what gift to get him. Well, I still have time. If anybody has any suggestions for a good gift for a 12 year old boy, let me know.

Festival coming up

2008-06-05T19:43:00.005-04:00

For those of you who live in or near East Northport, you may want to mark your calendar. On June 25th to 29th there will be a Family Feast and Festival at St. Anthony's. We go every year, and this year will be no exception. Justin has a ball running from ride to ride with his friends (with the parents trailing behind). We always have a great time! Maybe we will see some of you there.

Movie

2008-06-05T18:14:00.001-04:00

Well, tomorrow is the big movie day. I hope it turns out to be as good as I think it will be.

Movie Matinee

2008-06-02T22:40:00.003-04:00

Well, now there is only four more days until I see the movie I have been waiting for "Sex and the City" A bunch of my friends (the group of moms I hang out with) and I have been planning on going to this movie for over a month now. I have heard great things about the movie and I especially can't wait to find out how it ends (don't tell me, Kim!).

Another beautiful day at the beach!

2008-06-01T17:35:00.006-04:00

Today we went to the beach again. This time we went to the south shore. It was really nice beach weather, however, for me I think it would have been even better if it was a little less windy. I think I got a bit of a sunburn. Well, nothing too bad, anyway.

Justin, once again had a ball. This time he was playing with a lot of his cousins and together they really did some heavy duty digging.

Now we are off to the Spare Rib for dinner.

Clay Aiken

2008-05-29T22:11:00.005-04:00

I couldn't be more surprised. I just found out that Clay Aiken is going to be a dad!! Wow, that's a shock! The mom is Jaymes Foster who happens to be a good friend of Clay and the sister of music kingpin David Foster. She became pregnant through Artificial Insemination. This is a very interesting development for Clay.

Another book recommendation

2008-05-28T20:40:00.004-04:00

I just got finished reading another good book. This book is by Debbic Macomber and is on the best seller list. It is called Twenty Wishes. It is about a widow who compiles a list of things she always wanted to do.

I am finding that now that all my TV shows are off the air for the summer, I have much more time to catch up on my reading. This evening, after Justin's baseball game, I obtained three more books to read. That should keep me busy for a while.

Yesterday

2008-05-28T08:33:00.003-04:00

Boy, do kids grow fast. I just finally pulled out all the summer clothes for Justin and at least half of them no longer fit. He is growing like a weed.

Well, at least that gave me an excuse to go out shopping yesterday. I love to shop!

While I was out shopping, Justin went on a fishing boat out of Port Jefferson on a school trip. He had a wonderful time, although he did not bring home any fish for dinner. Maybe next time.

Happy Anniversary

2008-05-26T11:48:00.005-04:00

Happy anniversary to my two sisters - Brenda and Shari. Twenty three years ago today they got married at a unique double wedding ceremony. Now, almost a quarter of a century later, they have 5 beautiful children between them as well as wonderful careers. Hope you girls have a wonderful day!

Justin finds water

2008-05-25T16:03:00.005-04:00

Today we went to the air show at Jones Beach. We actually managed to get in this year due to the fact that we left so early in the morning. It was a beautiful day to be outside - finally.

By the time we left the beach, we saw cars lined up for miles on the side of the road, unable to get into the beach due to the large crowds. They were just setting up their chairs and watching from the side of the road or sitting on the hoods of their cars and watching the show.

Justin was determined to dig until he hit water ever since we went to Crab Meadow a few weeks ago. His determination paid off and he dug a fine hole and struck water. Some Chinese men actually stopped to admire Justin's work. They were bending over the hole and chatting in Chinese among themselves. I could have sworn I heard a very young boy on the next blanket say to his mom "look mom, that boy dug all the way to China and those men came out of the hole he dug"! - Hopefully his mother set him straight.

We came home and cleaned up and now we are going to a barbeque. It's been a great holiday weekend so far.

Movie

2008-05-24T22:37:00.003-04:00

Today, after we went to The "Home Run Derby" with Justin we decided to go to the movies. We saw Iron Man. I really didn't expect to enjoy the movie, but Walter and Justin both wanted to see it. It actually turned out to be quite entertaining.

Tomorrow we will be off to Jones Beach very early in the morning. We hope to see the air show and I remember that last year we were unable to get in due to the crowds. This is why we are going so early.

Odd things going on

2008-05-23T21:53:00.011-04:00

The other day an ice cream truck drove up to Justin's Baseball game hoping to get some business. A car pulled up behind the truck and a man started screaming and yelling at the driver to leave the area because he felt that since she was a foreigner she should not be selling ice cream.

The ice cream lady starded screaming in a foreign accent at the man.The argument got so loud that some of the kids playing the game stopped what they were doing and watched the spectacle. Then the ice cream lady grabbed her cell phone and said she was going to call the police. This was such an odd thing to happen at a baseball game.

After that, she sped off with the man in the car in pursuit of her ice cream truck. We watched until they were out of site. Later on, a few blocks away we saw the ice cream truck lady and the man in the car on the road screaming at each other and this time a police car was there. A few minutes later it started pouring and everyone ran to their cars and left so we never really saw the ending of this strange tale.

Now what is really wierd is after the game, Justin wanted to go to Wendys. We got on the drive-through line, waited ten minutes and the cars didn't move! We looked out our window and saw a man with a long list in his hand and it looked like it would take a really long time so we went inside.

Suddenly we hear a man screaming to the workers "YOU CALLING ME A RACIST! I AM NOT A RACIST! GIVE ME MY MONEY OR GIVE ME MY FOOD!" Everybody in Wendys was staring. Justin went to the side of the window and saw that the crazed man was out of his car and standing up in the Wendy's drive-through window screaming (racist) insults at the employees.

Finally he left and we had to wait another ten minutes as the employees were now frazzled and had left their stations. I wonder what all that was about, and I wonder if the guy at Wendy's was the same guy who was arguing with the Ice cream lady. Very odd.

Good day to fly a kite

2008-05-23T14:37:00.005-04:00

After taking Justin and his friend out for pizza, they decided it would be a good day to fly a kite. It took a while, but eventually they managed it get it quite high.

A good book

2008-05-22T18:57:00.005-04:00

I just got finished reading a book that recently came out and is on the best seller list. It is by Mary Higgins Clark and it is called "Where Are You Now" It was so good that I read it in just two days. This suspense novel is a tale of a young woman trying to unravel the mystery of a family tragedy -- a quest with terrifying repercussions. I would recommend this book to anybody.

We have a winner!

2008-05-21T23:34:00.002-04:00

I had trouble keeping my eyes open, but I watched the whole two hour season finale of American Idol (I had it on Tivo and didn't start watching until late). I was surprised and happy to see that David Cook actually did win! The only problem I had was that the show ended just a few minutes past the stated time and the Tivo did not get the very end of the show. I have been looking all over the internet to see if I can get the end of the show but so far no luck. I guess by tomorrow there should be something posted somewhere.

I think America got it right by picking the right David. He, in my opinion, is the best choice and I am really glad he won.

So, who will win?

2008-05-21T10:12:00.002-04:00

Tonight is the American Idol season finale. Who will win? I think everyone pretty much knows who will win after last nights show. And, it is not the person I wanted to win. I was not very happy last night after watching the show. It's pretty obvious that David A. will win and I really wanted David Cook to win. But, then again, you never know.

I will have to tivo the show tonight as we will be at Justin's game (unless it rains). Well, we will know soon enough.

Weather

2008-05-20T14:45:00.003-04:00

It sure doesn't seem like Memorial day is this weekend. I am tired of this cold and rainy weather. I was out all morning but besides going out to get Justin after school, I don't think I am going to leave the house again today. They are forcasting a pretty nice weekend. I hope they are right.

Another baseball post

2008-05-19T15:06:00.006-04:00

Justin had a make-up game yesterday and he has his regular game this evening. Walter and I both go to every game. I actually look forward to going as quite a few of my friends are there too.

So I have to run off to the school now to pick up Justin from his after school activity and quickly get dinner prepared so we can be at the game in time. This weekend there is a home run derby that we will be attending which promises to be a lot of fun. Hope the team wins tonight.

The beach

2008-05-17T23:10:00.005-04:00

Since the game was cancelled today and since Walter got called into work unexpectedly, Justin and I decided to go to the beach. It was a great day for the beach - not too hot and Justin decided to dig and dig and dig. He made some hole, that's for sure.

Game cancelled

2008-05-17T09:24:00.003-04:00

We all got up bright and early this morning for Justin's baseball game. We checked our e-mail to be sure that it wasn't cancelled due to the rain yesterday. Everything seemed to be ok. So we are walking out the door when the phone rang. It was the coach saying the game was cancelled. So much for baseball today.

Facebook

2008-05-15T21:10:00.005-04:00

Today I got an invitation to join Facebook from one of my first cousins (Debbie). My cousin grew up in New Orleans and we have not kept in touch at all over the years. I joined and was surprised to find that I knew other people on Facebook as well. It looks to be an easy way to keep in touch.

If anybody joins and wants to find me, I think the way to do it would be to search by my AIM name which is lindab4931

This is so interesting. I just this minute found out my Uncle Bill, who we all thought had a reoccurence of lung cancer is cancer free after all. Wow, I think I am going to really like this site.

Dental Cleaning

2008-05-14T10:10:00.003-04:00

I took Justin for his 6 month dental cleaning, x-ray's, and check-up yesterday. I can't believe how much they charged - it was over $200.00. I find that to be totally ridiculous and I told them so (over the phone they quoted me a lower price). These dentists have some racket going. Oh well, at least I have good dental insurance and will get reimbured for most of it.

On the lighter side, Justin had another good check-up and once again has no cavities. He has never had a cavity. At his age, I remember I had quite a few. They also said most probably he will not need braces but they can't tell for sure as he still has some baby teeth left.

On the way home

2008-05-12T12:32:00.010-04:00

On the way home from mom's house we decided to take a quick ride past Shari's house as she hadn't seen Walter's new car yet. Well, the ride past Shari's house wasn't as quick as we thought it would be.

When we pulled up, we saw quite a commotion. Wondering what was going on, we called Shari to come outside. She came out and said that a neighbor had her nephews over and they were playing with their dad's handcuffs (real handcuffs as their dad was a cop) and somehow one of the kids got it stuck on and the father didn't have a key with him to get them off. It was quite a scene. As you can imagine, the poor kid seemed quite unhappy. They called to see if Eric could use his handcuff key (he is a cop too) to get them off.

Eventually Eric was able to get them off. I even took a picture. Never a dull moment at my sister's house it seems.

Another picture

2008-05-12T12:28:00.005-04:00

Here is a picture from later on in the day on Mother's day.

Mother's Day

2008-05-12T12:26:00.001-04:00

Here is a picture from Mother's Day.

Happy Mothers Day

2008-05-11T09:18:00.004-04:00

I have presents sitting on my kitchen table waiting to be opened. I need to finish my coffee first before doing anything, but soon I will find out what I got.

Everything is quiet here this morning. Walter is having his morning coffee while checking out his computer - and Justin is reading a new book. I really have to get moving as they are taking me out very shortly. I think this will be a good day.

Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there.

Today

2008-05-10T19:25:00.005-04:00

Walter took me out tonight for a steak dinner in celebration of Mothers Day. We are both so full that we can't move.

Tomorrow we will be busy pretty much most of the day between seeing both our moms, and our own celebration of Mother's day in the morning.

Today since I was up and out early due to the cancelled baseball game, I decided to get my hair cut and I am glad I did. I went to a new place and for once I was actually happy with the cut.

No game today

2008-05-10T09:25:00.003-04:00

So we all woke up bright and early and dashed down to the baseball field only to find out that the game was cancelled.

Well at least now that I am up and dressed early I can run out to do some shopping.

Friday

2008-05-09T08:28:00.001-04:00

Is it Friday already? What happened to Thursday? Looks like I missed a day. Did anybody miss me?

Mother's day is coming up fast. Is everyone done with their shopping. I, for one, am not. This is not a good thing. Looks like I will be out shopping today.

And speaking of Mother's day gifts, Walter really needs to find some time to finish the gift he is putting together for my mom. He is making an arrangement of photos and music of her 70th birthday party. Don't worry, mom doesn't have a computer so she won't read this. (Michelle, don't let her use your computer until after Mothers day)!

Did anybody watch Survivor last night? Eric has to be the dumbest contestent ever on the show. He was so stupid to give up his immunity necklace. What was he thinking!! In my opinion, he deserves to be voted off for being so dumb.

Cheesecake factory - Again!

2008-05-07T10:30:00.001-04:00

Last night I met the "girls" at the Cheesecake Factory. These are friends that I have known "forever" but we haven't all been out together for quite a number of years. Once we saw each other, we just picked up where we left off - like all those years hadn't even gone by. We had a wonderful time. Once again I had that huge salad. I can't believe how big those salads are there.

Wondering

2008-05-06T08:29:00.001-04:00

Do we have any American Idol fans out there? If so, who do you think is going to win? I hope it will be David Cook but think the winner actually may be David Archuleta. And what are people waiting for - Jason Castro should have gone home weeks ago as far as I am concerned. And Syesha - I can't wait to see her go. She is terrible. Any thoughts?

Another Monday

2008-05-05T12:08:00.004-04:00

So today seemed like a good day to clean so that's what I have been doing all morning. Later we have to take Justin to get his baseball pictures taken and then - yet another game. Well at least it's nicer out.

Outback

2008-05-03T21:50:00.003-04:00

We went to Outback for dinner this evening. It was really good tonight and was pretty reasonably priced. We will probably go back more often. Justin had a steak that was bigger than the one I ordered. I just don't know how a little skinny kid can eat all that food - but he does.

And the evening would not be complete without our Saturday night excursion to the book store. I think we have gone there every Saturday night for months. Justin just loves to read and we can't buy books fast enough for him. He is upstairs reading his new book right now. He averages a book a night - which is wonderful - but it sure can be expensive.

I think a better choice would be visiting the library more often, especially at the rate he is reading. Maybe we will go next week. He says he doesn't want to get his books from the library because he likes to own the books so he can re-read them. It is true that he does read his books numerous times, but I think the time has come to give the library a try. He can always borrow the library books a second time if he really wants to.

We will be having an early day tomorrow as we will be attending an early morning make-up game for Justin. I guess we will see what the rest of the day brings.

Free sample of Colgate

2008-05-03T08:48:00.002-04:00

To make up for the last toothpaste sample that was sold out, here is a link for a free sample of Colgate toothpaste. (this is the toothpaste that we use if anybody wants to know) Click here and then on free sample. And it probably would be a good idea to hurry so that this won't be sold out too.

Game today

2008-05-03T07:30:00.002-04:00

If the weather holds out, Justin will have a game first thing this morning. I wasn't too happy about the time as we got home late last night from the canteen. Luckily Walter is willing to get up early to take Justin to the beginning of the game and I will be able to attend later on.

Another canteen

2008-05-02T13:19:00.003-04:00

Since the baseball game was postponed, I won't have to split myself up between two activities. Now we will be attending the entire canteen this evening.

Nathans Coupon

2008-05-02T11:31:00.001-04:00

For those who like hot dogs, here is a printable coupon for a free hot dog at Nathans when you purchase a hot dog.

The attack of the ball

2008-05-01T10:45:00.008-04:00

We attended the second game for Justin's baseball team, and for the two hours we were there, I was really cold. Oh well, soon enough I will be complaining that it is too warm.

The game was at Vets and for those who have played on that field I am sure you know that many of the balls end up being hit out of the field and onto the street. Well, Walter drove tonight and he spent a good portion of the night watching the balls narrowly missing his new car.

One would land in front of it, one behind it, a few on the side of it and some actually flew over it and onto the other side of the street. Once people saw our concern, they all started watching for us as well. Finally he couldn't take it any more and decided to move the car even though it was the last inning.

As soon he pulled out, wouldn't you know it, a ball landed in the exact spot he was just in. People were saying did you see that - and look at that - he was so lucky etc. So I guess his instincts were correct - Next time we will be sure to park elsewhere.

Walter's new vehicle

2008-04-30T08:01:00.001-04:00

Dunkin Donuts Coffee Sample

2008-04-30T07:30:00.001-04:00

Would anybody like a free sample of Dunkin Donuts coffee?

To get your free sample of Dunkin Donuts coffee, Click here

Free sample of Aquafresh Advanced

2008-04-30T07:14:00.003-04:00

If you would like to try a new toothpaste, here is a link for a free sample of Aquafresh Advanced. Update - this freebie is now sold out. Thank you for letting us know, Lonnie!

Thinking of Dad

2008-04-28T21:27:00.007-04:00

Today would have been dad's 72nd birthday. We hope he knows, wherever he is, that we are all thinking of him - especially on this day. He will always live on within the hearts and minds of his family and the people who knew him. We miss you, Dad!

Will it ever stop raining?

2008-04-28T19:07:00.002-04:00

I feel like a drowned rat today. I was out pretty much all day long doing various errands etc. in this nasty, horrible weather. My clothes were pretty much soaked and if you were to see my hair you wouldn't recognize that it was me. To make matters worse, we went to pick up Walter's new Durango and wouldn't you know, it was parked around the side of the building so I had to walk all around the building in the pouring rain to get back to my car (no umbrella with me). Then in and out of the car doing various errands, (Charlie's Brown's, Target, Justin's school etc.) I don't want to see rain again for a long time.

Of course Justin's baseball game was cancelled today and the make up day is Friday. The problem with that is that I volunteered to be a chaperon at Justin's school canteen on Friday and we can't be at two places at once. Baseball comes first so I guess we will be late to the canteen.

Today is a baseball day

2008-04-27T11:40:00.002-04:00

The baseball parade is in an hour. Directly after the parade, Justin will have his first game. Lets hope the weather holds out. Too bad Walter wasn't able to make it home for Justin's first game.

Next year Walter's show will be in Nashville and both Justin and I plan to go with him.

My car insurance rate was lowered

2008-04-26T10:36:00.001-04:00

Well, I got a surprise. My car insurance company sent me a letter saying that due to my excellent record, my rate is going to be lowered. And sure enough, yesterday when I got my bill, there was a substantial reduction. With the prices of everything going up, this was a nice surprise.

Saturday

2008-04-25T20:45:00.006-04:00

Walter will be home tomorrow evening - late. He will be off work on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday we will go to pick up his new SUV as they finally called him and said it was ready to be picked up.

Yesterday Justin and I had a quiet day. We did more planting and cleaning up around here in the early afternoon and then did some shopping (Justin didn't like the shopping part) and then I took him to McDonald's.

Later on we watched a movie that Michelle lent us (Paulie). We had never seen it and it was a cute movie.

Today I will be taking Justin to baseball practice at 11:00.

A busy day today

2008-04-24T21:13:00.003-04:00

Today was so nice that Justin and I went out to get some more plants and other things for around the deck and backyard. When we came home Justin actually put together this no crank garden hose reel. Since I had no idea how to put it together I was glad he was able to do it. Too bad at the end somehow it was pointing in the wrong direction and squirted into the ground and all the mud got splashed upwards into Justin's face and clothes. He was really a mess - covered with mud - and we were running late and I wasn't happy about that.

Then we raced out to go to Michelle's house and Justin took a dip in the baby pool. It's kind of funny but when he got out of the pool the whole pool had mud in it. Do ya think it could be related to his earlier ordeal? Or maybe it was because the three dogs that were in the backyard kept jumping in and out of the pool and their legs were muddy. I guess that was the more likely reason. We only stayed for a couple of hours and then a bunch of us went to Ruby Tuesday's for dinner. After that we went to the Whitman mall.

I am kind of tired now. Especially as I did not get much sleep last night due to the fact that Justin had trouble sleeping (which kept me awake). Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

Nice day for planting

2008-04-23T17:18:00.002-04:00

By the time noon rolled around today, Justin and I decided that since we were hungry and we actually had no plans until the evening that we would go to the Greek Village for lunch. It was really good.

After that, since it was so nice outside we decided to do some planting. We bought peppers, peas, carrots, as well as hanging plants etc. Justin did a really good job digging etc. I only hope the warm weather keeps up so the plants don't get ruined.

We had to cut it short as we are leaving for Justin's baseball scrimage in five minutes and we are going early so I can walk with the girls before the scrimage so we don't miss anything.

We all miss Walter but he will be home soon enough.

Day 2

2008-04-22T09:54:00.003-04:00

Walter has arrived safely to Las Vegas yesterday. He slept most of the way there so the flight didn't seem so long to him.

In the meantime, back at the ranch, this is day 2 of school vacation. So far things are pretty quiet, which could either be a good thing or could just be the calm before the storm.

Soon we will be leaving to go to baseball practice. After that I will be taking Justin to his friend's house. This evening I will be meeting with my friends for our evening walk. We will all be taking our kids with us. They can play ball in the field while we walk.

That's it so far. Like I said, it's pretty quiet - for now anyway. How long will it last I wonder.

It's gonna be a long week!

2008-04-21T10:20:00.004-04:00

Today is the morning of the first day of school vacation and already Justin has me frazzled. He came running into my room this morning, all full of energy and was like mom, I want french toast (he pretty much never eats breakfast so that was surprising) so I dragged myself out of bed (before my coffee mind you) and made him the french toast with eyelids half closed and put it on the table and then he says ewww this tastes terrible and threw it out!! So much for breakfast.

Then he starts playing a playstation game that he hasn't played for a really long time but was reminded about it last night (thanks Kevin) and again comes running into my room saying his game was scratched and wouldn't work properly and we needed to go online immediately to buy another one. Never mind the other 25 games that are just sitting there that he hasn't played. So once again I drag myself onto the computer and of course we called all around and there was no replacement game to be had.

So then he decides he will go on the xbox 360 and wouldn't you know, it was down for some sort of maintenance.

So now back to trying to replace the broken game. He decides we should call blockbuster and since he can't find the game to buy, maybe we could rent it. So we call and of course they do not have one to rent.

So now he says mom lets go out and buy a used one at game stop. By this time I am taking the first few sips of my coffee and he's ready to run out the door. I stalled for time by telling him there was a good show on TV so for now I am safe but I can tell it won't be for long. So as I said in my title of this post - it's gonna be a loooong week. And to top things off Walter just few off to Las Vegas on a business trip this morning.

He just came in before I could even finish my post and says he wants matza ball soup - does he know what time it is?? I know that my moms soup was good (we have all leftovers from Passover) but it's kind of early for soup.

I have to stop writing this blog now - I can see he is going to need all my attention today. Besides I have to get dressed to go out on the hunt for that game he wants. Yep a looong week!

Great job, Justin!

2008-04-19T15:21:00.004-04:00

Justin got his report card today. For the third quarter in a row, Justin has achieved an average high enough to make the Principal's list. (The Principal's list is for averages between 95-100) His average this quarter was 97.85

We are proud of your achievement Justin! Keep up the good work!

Passover

2008-04-19T10:06:00.002-04:00

I want to wish everyone a wonderful Passover. We will be celebrating at moms as we do every year. Everyone will be bringing something.

As soon as I get home from Justin's baseball practice this morning, and my mile and a half walk with the girls, I will have to start doing some cooking.

The walking has begun

2008-04-17T23:31:00.003-04:00

I have been thinking about starting an exercise regime for a long time, but never really did anything about it. Today I finally started walking. My friend Charlene and I walked 1 1/2 miles around the track. We plan on walking again on Saturday and then every day next week. A few other girls may join us as well. The weather is so nice outside, I may as well take advantage of it.

Roomba gone wild!

2008-04-16T09:38:00.005-04:00

Well today I decided it was time to let my Roomba do its thing. I started it up and all it wanted to do was dance around in circles. No cleaning for my Roomba today.

I will have to have Walter take a look at it. I am running around trying to get out and I don't have time to vacuum right now. I see that I have come to depend on my little helper. I hope it comes back to its senses soon!

Batting practice

2008-04-15T23:04:00.006-04:00

Justin wanted to get some batting practice in today. We went to a local park. Walter was pitching and he somehow recruited me to be in the outfield to retrieve the balls. I guess I am out of shape as when I came home I was all achy and told Walter it was because of all the exercise I just did.

Walter was laughing at me because he said you call that exercise - all you did was move enough to prevent rigor mortis from setting in. Hmmm, the Nerve!

Oh well, I am sure we will be back there again over the weeks to come. Hopefully I will get more used to it each time we go. The main thing is that Justin is finally getting to practice with his new bat. He really needs the practice as the first game is in two weeks.

New Weight Watcher member

2008-04-14T17:15:00.005-04:00

Well, as of today, three out of the four original Cohen sisters are now members of Weight Watchers. Gee, I hope they don't mind me writing about this.

I have to say I am glad they joined as I like the company. Girls, feel free to post your progress here.

Canteen

2008-04-12T20:00:00.003-04:00

Last night, as always, I volunteered to work at Justin's school canteen. When I arrived, I found out I was to work serving the food and drinks. After 2 1/2 hours, I had a new admiration for the school lunch ladies. There sure were a lot of hungry and thirsty kids. But I have to say, the kids were very cute and I really enjoyed myself talking with the other moms. There is only one more canteen left this year and once again I plan to volunteer. There are not that many opportunities to volunteer in middle school; so I am glad that this is one area that they can use my assistance.

2008 Dodge Durango

2008-04-12T19:54:00.003-04:00

By Tuesday, Walter should have delivery of his new 2008 blue Dodge Durango. We went to the dealer today to try to take a peak at it, but they were closed and we found out the vehicle was locked in the service area after being prep'd. Well, just a few more days to wait - that's not too bad.

Cheescake Factory

2008-04-10T23:42:00.005-04:00

Tonight I went out with one of my friends to the new Cheesecake Factory in Huntington. We both ordered salads which turned out to be really really big salads.. They were so big that we both ended up taking the leftovers home for the next day. They have much more than just salads there. Here is a link to check out their menu.

The wait was only ten minutes which really wasn't bad as on the weekend there are much longer waits. If you don't have time to stop in, they even have Curbside-To-Go. Simply call in your order and drive up to the reserved Curbside-To-Go spaces. Call the Curbside phone number when you arrive and they will deliver your order right to your car.

Althought we didn't try the cheesecake this time, I had tried it in the past and it is pretty much the best cheesecake I have tasted. An added bonus is that it is right next door to the mall, so we got to do a bit of shopping after dinner All in all our visit to the Cheesecake factory was a good experience, and I would recommend that you try it if you haven't already.

Women's Day Magazine's Contest

2008-04-09T23:34:00.003-04:00

Enter Women's Day magazine's Choose your cruise! Sweepstakes. The winner will receive a free four day/three night cruise to the Bahamas for two adults. Click here to enter.

Washington D.C. Trip

2008-04-08T23:09:00.008-04:00

Well, we have finally decided where we will go this summer. We are going to visit Washington D.C. Walter and I have been there once before, years ago. I have been wanting to go back there for a long time. I remember at that time we were not able to visit the while house. This time, hopefully we should be able to. We just have to contact our senator's office and request a tour in advance. I think Justin will love it there; and I am sure he will be interested in all the places we take him.

Free Hypoallergenic Pillowcase for allergy sufferers

2008-04-08T22:58:00.006-04:00

If you suffer from allergies, you may want to try this free Hypoallergenic pillowcase. They just ask that you fill out a short survey. I have already received mine, and it's great. Click here to sign up. It should arrive in 6-8 weeks.

Three Free issues of O - the Oprah Magazine

2008-04-07T21:50:00.005-04:00

If you are an Oprah fan here is a freebie you may like. Three free issues of O magazine with no strings attached - no bills, etc. Click here to sign up for your copies.

Today is the first day of Baseball Practice

2008-04-06T23:34:00.002-04:00

Justin has anxiously awaited this day as it marks the beginning of baseball season for him. He can't wait to begin. We recently got him a new bat bag (as the new bat we bought him was too big to fit in the old bag), cleats (he was a size 7 last year but this year we had to buy him a size 8), batting gloves (his hands grew so much that he had trouble getting the old gloves on), as well as a few other items that he needed. Practice will be three times a week and then we will have games three times a week. We sure will be busy for a while. If anybody needs a pair of "baseball cleats" in size 7, let me know.

Happy 13th Birthday to my Nephew Brandon!

2008-04-06T15:36:00.006-04:00

I want to wish my Nephew, Brandon, a very happy 13th birthday. Here is a picture of his paintball celebration! He managed to escape with just minimal damage. I hope those welts heal real soon, kids! Just a note to those who are wondering - Justin was not in attendance.

Our frogs laid eggs

2008-04-06T00:05:00.002-04:00

Well we have had these aquababy frogs for about 8 years now and in all that time, they pretty much just swam around, ate, slept, etc. All of the sudden, we look into the tank and there are hundreds of eggs all over the place. They are in the rocks, hanging on the plant, and also inside this decorative cave we have. It sure was a surprise to us. With all those eggs, chances are we may be getting at least some new frogs. If so, I guess we will have to buy a bigger tank. I guess we will just have to wait and see what happens.

Lowfat cheese omelet

2008-04-05T11:16:00.006-04:00

I like to make a cheese omelet for breakfast, but that is way too fattening for me so this is how I handle it. I use one egg and three egg whites. For the cheese I use shredded fat free cheddar cheese. I spray the pan with pam instead of using butter or oil. What comes out is tasty yet low in calories and fat. You can add onions or other vegetables according to your taste. It is definitely worth a try if your goal is to lose weight. And if you are on the Weight Watcher program, it is only three points for the whole thing. Not bad, right?

Free sample of Bausch & Lomb antihistamine eye drops

2008-04-05T00:40:00.002-04:00

Has anyone been experiencing itchy eyes due to allergies. If so, you may want to try a free sample of Bausch & Lomb's eye drops. Your sample will arrive in 7-10 business days.

Free Pet Exam

2008-04-05T00:27:00.002-04:00

For those of you who have pets, here is a printable coupon for a free pet exam. For locations click here

Weight Watcher Bagels

2008-04-04T23:58:00.001-04:00

Has anybody ever tried Weight Watchers bagels. Well I tried one today and really didn't expect much but it was surprisingly good. And each one is only two points. Looks like I found something new to add to my Weight Watcher plan.

Seattle's Best Ground Coffee Sample

2008-04-03T23:15:00.002-04:00

Are there any coffee drinkers out there? If so, just click here to obtain a free sample of Seattle's Best coffee. There is a choice of three blends. I already ordered mine! I love Seattle's Best coffee and drink it quite frequently. Don't miss out - order your sample today.

Katie Joel's Meatloaf Recipie

2008-04-02T23:24:00.006-04:00

As seen on Oprah last week, Billy Joel's wife - Katie - has written a cookbook. One of the recipies (meatloaf) can been found here. We tried it and really liked it. In fact Walter liked it so much he asked when am I going to make it again. That was odd because Walter always thought he didn't like meatloaf. So if you are looking for a new way to prepare your meatloaf, you may want to give this recipe a try.

Aeropostale printable coupon

2008-04-02T23:15:00.004-04:00

For those of you who shop at Aeropostale, here is a link to a printable coupon for $10.00 off a $50.00 purchase. Aeropostale is one of my new favorite stores to shop for Justin.

Free sample of Warm Delights Minis

2008-04-01T22:58:00.004-04:00

Free sample of Warm Delights Minis . Click Here for a free sample of Warm Delights Minis. They come in an individual serving size and have only 150 calories per bowl.

New Clay Aiken CD

2008-04-01T19:10:00.003-04:00

The new Clay Aiken CD , on my way here, will be released in May. I have already pre-ordered my copy from Amazon. I can't wait to hear it!

Happy April Fools Day!

2008-03-31T23:17:00.005-04:00

Did everybody remember that it was April fools day today? One of the most famous April fools day pranks was the following:

Spaghetti trees: The BBC ran a famous hoax in 1957, showing the Swiss harvesting spaghetti from trees. They had claimed that the despised pest the spaghetti weevil had been eradicated. A large number of people contacted the BBC wanting to know how to cultivate their own spaghetti trees.

That's kind of funny. Now be careful that nobody plays a trick on you today!

New Bat

2008-03-30T23:14:00.008-04:00

We have an old beat up baseball bat with tape on the handle that Justin has used for many years. As baseball season is quickly approaching, we decided it was time for a new bat for Justin. Walter wanted to buy Justin an expensive bat, but I wondered can an expensive bat make a difference in how a kid hits a baseball?

So off we went to a specialty baseball shop as we needed assistance with picking out the bat. After talking to the staff, we ended up buying an expensive bat. Now for the test.

At a batting cage Justin tried 9 balls with his old bat. Time after time he would miss. Then he tried 9 balls with the new bat and what do you know - he hit the ball almost every time! So I guess buying a better bat does make a difference. It's going to be a GREAT baseball season this year!

New Book

2008-03-30T23:04:00.002-04:00

A new book has come out called "Mistaken Identity" The books tells the true story of two college students who were in a terrible car crash - one was buried under the wrong name and one was in a coma being cared for by the wrong family.

For five weeks family and friends went to the hospital every day and no one realized the person they were visiting was the wrong girl. Five weeks later they made the discovery that the two girl's identities had been mistakenly reversed. Dateline ran a full hour story this week about it and it was fascinating. The book may be something to check out.

At what age can a kid go to an event with just his friends with no parental supervision.

2008-03-29T23:28:00.000-04:00

Tonight Justin went to the school variety show with two friends. I was hesitant to let him go with only his friends and no parental supervision and wondered if I should buy a ticket for myself as well. In the end I stayed home and decided he was old enough to go without me. BIG MISTAKE!

Before he left I gave him money to buy a snack at intermission. I found out that not only did he buy one snack, but he bought three candy bars with the money and ate them all!

Now that he was so sugered out and hyper, only havic could follow. The show ended early and they boys had to wait ten minutes for the mom to pick them up during which time they ended up fighting about some nonsense.

During the car ride home the fighting continued and they started hitting each other. When they arrived home, the mom walked Justin in the house and then all of the sudden Justin ran back to the car because the kid was making an obsene gesture to him out the car window, and more fighting ensued.

One boy slapped Justin in the face and when he came in there was a handprint on his face for about twenty minutes! There was all sorts of screaming and yelling in my driveway between the boys fighting and Walter, I and the other mom telling them to stop.

So the answer to the question what age can a kit go to an event without parental supervision - well for my kid it's not 11 1/2 that's for sure. I won't let him go to any events without me again this year. Maybe we will try again next year.

What exactly is a "blog"

2008-03-29T10:45:00.000-04:00

So today I sit down on my computer chair and find that Walter has left instructions to start something called a "blog". I have heard the term "blog" in the past here and there, but it really is something foreign to me so I will have to forge my way through slowly.

Well I just wrote my first paragrah, and started to scroll down the page to see what I do next, but apparently that is it. You just write and post. Hmmm So a "blog" is something like a journal I guess. Only it is one that everyone has access to.

Ok then, I will publish this post and see how it looks.