YouTube

My husband helped me put together a video for my online class over the weekend and it came out pretty good.  We think it is so cute that maybe we will start creating some more videos because they are great to share with family and it allows us to take all the videos we have of her and just pick those perfect priceless moments out of each video.  Then we put all the awesome pieces together and we have a great video!!

It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be either.  The most time consuming thing was going through each video and picking the time periods to include in the YouTube video.  Then we just had to upload each piece into the editing software, add some music, mess around with volumes, fading, etc.  It was actually kind of fun.

And this is the final result:

Word Crush

My husband created this awesome game called Word Crush for Android and he recently released it on the Android Market.  It can be found here:

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mlove.wordcrush&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwyLDEsImNvbS5tbG92ZS53b3JkY3J1c2giXQ

It is a game that I played a lot when he was developing it.  I helped find bugs and give advice on ways to improve the usability and make the game better.  Creating it was something my husband really enjoyed and I had a great time making myself feel useful by playing the game nonstop because I was "helping."  But really, I just love the game and would play it anyways!

It's a free game that anyone with an Android device can download and it is lots of fun.  You basically play with words by using 6 letters to create word combinations.  You get more points when you use more letters.  So you can create 3 letter word, 4 letter words, 5 letter words, and 6 letter words.  Of course, if you always manage to find the 6 letter words in every game then you are either amazing or you are cheating!  Because that part is not easy.  But it is so much fun to try and get them all before the clock runs out!


He also came up with different backgrounds that would be available during the game.  You could choose beach, city, or lake.  You could customize the buttons a bit, by deciding where you want the clear button and whether you want it to clear one letter or the whole word.  You can also choose the type of game you want.  Some people like to be scored and race against the clock.  But sometimes if you want a more relaxed game, then you can just keep trying to find words until you fill in the whole board.  The game will time you, but you do not have to try and finish in just 3 minutes.  You can take all the time you need.


I highly recommend the game if you love playing with words.  I used to play Word Whomp occasionally on Pogo and this is similar. So if you like that, then you will like this too.

Give it a try!  Maybe you will love it as much as I do!!

Thank You Cards...and Life

Oh thank you cards.  I know that you are necessary, but that does not mean I have to like you. 

I feel like I am going a bit crazy during the end of the semester, leading into Christmas, time.  Reading, writing, doing thank you cards, entertaining Kaylee every minute she is awake, shopping for Christmas gifts, hoping the gifts will be delivered on time, cooking, cleaning, decorating (which I have not done), getting a tree (which we hope will be delivered on time), watching Doctor Who (very important!), etc. 

Not to mention the fact that I have to do a video for my online class this week.  Everyone agrees that the class is not going well.  But none of us can do anything about it.  Unfortunate, but such is life.

Christmas

I've been thinking about Christmas gifts today.  And I can never think of what to tell people when they ask what I want.  And now I have to tell people what to get for Kaylee.  Once I've covered the basics of what she needs, which go to the grandparents, then I am not sure what to tell people.  What do you give a 9 month old for Christmas?  She has tons of toys.  And people never really want to get clothes.  At least, they never only want to get clothes.

And do I bother with a giant tree?  I mean, I realize that it is her first Christmas.  So I definitely want to get a tree.  But I don't think it's necessary to go all crazy when she is not even going to realize what is going on.  Next year, she will be old enough to really take everything in.  So I want to make it special and really go all out.  I think I will stick to basic decorations and a tree that is not over the top.

First Christmas in the new house!  Exciting!

Going to class until December 22nd?  Not exciting at all...

Mom's Birthday

Today is my mother's 65th birthday.  She would probably kill me for admitting her age.  But I do it for a reason.  I am 23 years old.  Do the math.

My mother was in her early 40's when I came along.  A little surprise to keep the family on their feet.  That having been said, my mother is amazing.  Somehow she kept up with me, gave me what I needed, and took care of me.  I'm sure that at that age, the last thing she wanted was to care for a screaming infant.  But she did it.  And she always said that I kept her young.

Now that I have my own little girl, I think she might have been telling a little white lie.  Maybe when I got a bit older and wasn't as much work.  But when I was little, I don't know how she did it at that age.  Like I said, she is amazing.  I hope she knows that, but maybe she doesn't think of it that way.  And that is why I am putting it out there.

We fight, argue, yell....well I fight, argue, and yell.  She just shakes her head and keeps her lips locked as much as she can.  Even when she knows that she is right and I am wrong.  She lets me learn that myself.  And then waits for my apology, which I inevitably make.  Once my wounded pride at being wrong will allow me to apologize that is.  She waits patiently and never gets mad at me, no matter how mad I get and how much I yell.

My point here is that I love my Mommy.  And the older I get, the more I realize how important it is to say it.  So Happy Birthday Mommy!!  You are an amazing woman and I love you with all my heart.  Thank you for everything!

Holidays

This week is going to be crazy, but so much fun.  Mike and I decided to have Thanksgiving at our new house.  So we are going to have his family, my parents, and my best friend.  So many people.  So much food.  It's going to be a great time.  We are all really looking forward to it.

It is so hard to balance holidays when you are married.  And it gets even harder when you have a baby.  Everyone wants to see her at Christmas, but you have no choice but to disappoint someone.  Each person wants to be with his/her family because that is the tradition.  What to do?  It's pretty much an impossible situation.  My family has a little family party just after Christmas.  So I guess that's close enough to Christmas.  It's still sad not to be with my family for the actual holiday.  But I suppose I'll get used to it doing it every year.

I would like to hope that things will get easier as Kaylee gets older, but I doubt it.  When she gets older, we'll just have to worry about making the long trip with two children instead of one.  That is not going to be fun.  I thought when you had kids, people were supposed to come to you, instead of you coming to them!  Haha  If only that was true! 

Websites

In the last couple of days, I have realized that creating an awesome website is almost impossible unless you have expertise in that area.  Google sites lets you do some things, but not others.  Other generic website creating software has limits too.  Basically, I have been doing everything possible to figure this out and have gotten nowhere.  I want to put some photo albums in and a calendar.  Which you can do on Google sites....but you can't change the formatting...like putting text next to the picture as opposed to under it...

Anyways, I don't know what I am going to do at this point.  But I know that eventually I will figure it out.  It may not be the best website, but I will definitely get it done.  Fun, fun, fun.

Fiction

I was reading for Fiction Writing today and it made me think about how interesting the workshop process is.  Reading other people's fiction and critiquing it, analyzing the plots and characters. Finding out a writer's strengths and weaknesses and trying to help them improve.  Having others tell you your strengths and weaknesses and learning how to be a better writer - a better storyteller. 

Good writers in a general sense are not hard to come by, but weaving together a web of details and descriptions, plots and people....well, the thought is kind of overwhelming.  That is why walking into Fiction Writing when it is time to review your own story is terrifying.  All you can do is hold your breath and hope that at least one person in that room liked your story.  And that no one tells you that you are wasting your time because you are horrible.  (Which no one would ever say because they are not evil, but it is still something that as writers, we constantly fear.)

I keep thinking about how different each writer is and what their process might be like.  How do they come up with their story ideas?  Why do they write about a specific subject?  Does it have to do with their past?  Is it just something they happen to be interested in?  Why?  I think it is all so fascinating.

If they chose to write about something different, to try something new, is it because they want to?  Or is it because they think that they should?  For example, if someone tells you not to write fantasy, do you listen?  Even if it is what you enjoy writing?  Or do you continue on writing what you love and ignore them? 

If a writer chooses to write something outside of their comfort zone for the sake of learning, is it really a good thing?  Or will their experimental writing pale in comparison to the stories that they took pleasure in writing because it was their passion?

Just some thoughts.

Writing

In fiction writing last night, we did a great exercise that really helps with creativity and coming up with story ideas.  I loved it.  All it takes is a few index cards and a pen.  I mean, come on.  It doesn't get any easier than that.

We wrote some kind of identifier on one card and some kind of action on another.  The identifier could be something like: the milkman, the maid, the accountant, etc.  Anything.  The action should not be something simple (tied her shoe) or something completely outrageous and impossible.  It should be something unique that is possible, but also not something that happens every day.  Some examples from last night's class are: slashed his tires, put the hamster in the microwave, and punched the librarian (thank you Evan!)

We took our identifier card and passed it to our left and then took the action and passed it to our right.  Everyone was left with new cards.  Nothing that they actually wrote.  Some were boring and did not make sense, but some were so funny and just amazing.

So you then ask yourself: why did the identifier do this action?  For example, my combination of cards left me with this question: why did the investment banked punch the librarian?  Think about that question for a minute and try to come up with the story.  It's awesome.

Now I will be getting a stack of index cards and filling them out.  I might even have some of my friends and family fill some out.  That would give me some options that I would not think of myself.

Life

We are officially in the new house and I absolutely love it!  Of course, we just moved in on Tuesday so there is stuff everywhere and nothing is set up.  But still, it's ours.  Our home.

Kaylee is comfortable here already, which is wonderful.  She loves her room, particularly the multicolored fan.  The people before us must have had kids.  All of her toys and things are here so she has plenty to play with.  We've got her jumperoo, which she still loves, and she doesn't even need a pillow underneath it anymore.  She can touch the floor!  I can't believe how fast she is growing.  I'm looking at her in the jumperoo right now and she is just so adorable!  She definitely has me wrapped around her little finger.  When she smiles and giggles, I'm gone.

I keep looking around the house thinking about all the things that need to be baby-proofed.  A gate for the basement door.  Padding around the fireplace.  At least we don't need outlet covers.  Mike put tamper resistant outlets in the majority of the house already.  And he'll be replacing the rest of them when he has time.  Time is hard to come by right now.  We've done so much to the house already, but there is always more.  Most of it can wait, but some things need attention now.  Like the baby-proofing.  Looking at Kaylee, I can tell that we will need to baby-proof very soon.  I feel like she could stand on her own any second now.  And I feel like she is going to skip the crawling stage.  She hates being on her stomach.  Maybe she will be one of those babies that just butt-scoots across the floor.  That would be hilarious. 

Power Outages

I have lived in NH since January.  And now we have lost power twice.  Last time, it was out for days.  Days.  And it sucked.  The thing is, we didn't even get that much snow! 

Tonight, we have lost power once again.  Leaves are still on the trees and now the snow is making them even heavier.  So they are falling everywhere and taking power lines out with them. 

The worst part is that my husband and I were supposed to complete the move into our new house tomorrow.  But right now, we don't know if there is power at the house since it is on the other side of Merrimack NH.  I guess we will just have to wait until tomorrow to find out what our plans will be.  I am a sad panda right now. 

Luckily, the house we are in now has a generator to power certain parts of the house.  So if we don't have power for a few days, then we can just stay here.  But it is definitely sad.  We were so excited about getting into the new house.  But with a baby and no generator at the new house, there is no way we will be moving in with no power.  Oh NH.  I so do not like you right now.

Keys and Locks

I've been thinking about locks and keys today.  My husband and I just bought a house recently and we are not quite moved in.  But after the closing, we went to check the house out and start cleaning.  The seller's agent gave us the keys to the front door and told us where to find the rest of the house keys.  In a drawer in the kitchen, we found more keys than we knew what to do with.

The problem was that some of the keys for the house were still missing.  We had 6 keys to one door, 4 keys to another door, etc. and then no keys to other doors.  It was ridiculous.  So we decided to start by replacing all the exterior doors - doors to the backyard, the front door, exterior doors to our breezeway.  We went to Lowe's and picked up a set of 2 locks which will get us started.  Then we have to pick up 2 more locks and get the re-keyed so that we will have the same key for everything.  Because as it is, we have like 10 keys to the house.  Not cool.

How did the previous owners keep track of so many keys?  I'll tell you.  They didn't.  That's why we are missing so many keys!  But we want to make sure we can have the house locked up when necessary and not need a million keys to do it. 

And if anyone else goes through a situation like this, here is some advice: get your new locks at Lowe's.  Home Depot charges $5 per lock to re-key.  But if you buy the locks at Lowe's, then they only charge you $5 total to re-key.  The woman told us she doesn't like to go nuts overcharging people because it is unnecessary.  Lowe's = win!

The Walking Dead

I decided to check out The Walking Dead today since it was available On Demand.  So far, I really like it.  It reminds me so much of playing Left 4 Dead.  Besides having the "special" zombies of course.

Basically, it's the typical story.  There is a virus that is spreading and a group of people sticks together trying to find safety and a possible cure.  The characters are interesting and each episode so far has had a pretty good plot (besides the obvious "don't let the zombies eat me" plot). 

I didn't get to watch the first episodes, but I did find out that it is available on Netflix streaming.  So I plan to look into it.  If you like zombies, you should definitely check it out!

House Update

Yesterday was furniture move in day.  It actually went really well.  The difficult part was that we had to pick all the furniture up in Lynn, MA and bring it to Merrimack, NH.  So we needed movers in each place.

That having been said, our friends were absolutely amazing.  We had several friends in Lynn helping and the majority of them (everyone who was available for the rest of the day) came to NH to help.  Plus, we had friends that came to help in whichever area was closest for them.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, we are so lucky to have the friends that we have.  They are the best!

My parents also came to help with some things that needed to be done: cleaning, furniture assembly, some painting, and helping take care of Kaylee so I could tell the guys where the furniture had to go.  They have been absolutely amazing throughout this move.  And to top it all off, they are coming back next weekend to help us paint the master bedroom and the living room. 

We still have some smaller furniture and some boxes to move in, but the majority of the bulky stuff is now in the house.  Next weekend, we will move our bed and Kaylee's crib and that will be it.  We will officially be moved into our new house!  And just in time for Halloween!

Our First House

Well, we did it!  This morning, we signed all the papers and we now own a house!  Our first house!  Watching all that money disappear from our bank account was admittedly scary, but it was worth it.  The house is so beautiful and we cannot wait to move in!

Today, I cleaned the kitchen, scrubbing every drawer, shelf, and appliance until they were squeaky clean.  My husband started replacing the outlets in Kaylee's room and the room that will be our office.  A lot of them were not grounded correctly. So since he was going to be messing with them anyways, he figured we might as well put in tamper resistant outlets.  It's just safer for when Kaylee starts running around.

Mike also had Comcast come to get our Internet going.  That way, he can get started wiring the house with ethernet, since he wants to have hardwired connections in several rooms and he wants it done correctly without it costing an arm and a leg.  Which is yet another reason that my hubby is amazing.  He can do all this stuff himself.  He's smart like that!  And he has ridiculously amazing friends, most of whom know a little something about everything.  Combined, they are a serious force of nature.  We are so lucky to have them.  And so lucky that they are all amazing and willing to lend us their expertise in improving our home.  It's so great saying that.  OUR home!

We have had a hectic, but awesome, day and this weekend will be more of the same.  My parents are coming to NH tomorrow to help us clean and to help take care of Kaylee.  Furniture move in begins on Sunday and we should be officially and completely moved in by Halloween.  So exciting!

Lunch

Today I took Kaylee to see Mike at work in Manchester and we went out to lunch with some friends.  It was so great to see Mike during the day and I think he really enjoyed getting to see Kaylee. 

I know that it makes him sad to be away from her all day, which is why he goes into work so early.  That way, he gets to see her for a long time in the afternoon.  He is so amazing for doing that.  Also, it is awesome that his work lets him do that.  Companies are getting so much better at working with their employees, striving to achieve a work/life balance that is the best for everyone involved.  Mike is able to adjust his schedule, for the most part, to fit our life and our family.  In turn, he is a happy, efficient employee who does amazing work, which benefits the company.  It's a win-win situation.

Grooveshark

First, there was Pandora.  I used to listen to music on that all the time.  Pick a song you like and Pandora would play songs that it believed to be similar.  Great.  I loved it.




Then, there was Slacker.  Pick a station and songs of a certain genre would play continuously for your listening pleasure.  There was an occasional 30 second commercial, but it wasn't too bothersome.  You could pay a small price for the year to have those pesky commercials taken away if they really bothered you too much.  Also, you could skip through songs if you didn't like them or tell Slacker not to play them anymore.  Favorite them if you really loved them and they would play more often.  But unless you paid for the service, you did not have the ability to skip an unlimited amount of songs.  It could be annoying if you really had some specific songs in mind that you wanted to hear.

Now, there is Grooveshark, which my husband recently introduced me to.  Like Slacker, you can pick a genre and those are the types of songs that will be played.  You can also pick "Popular Songs" and you will get almost 500 songs on one playlist, able to work your way through them and never hear the same song if you don't want to.  The difference with Grooveshark is that you can skip as many songs as you want, create your own playlists, search for absolutely any song you want to hear, share your playlists with people, and so much more.  It's pretty awesome.

The more I think about it, it's actually a lot like iTunes.  Except you have access to an unlimited amount of music.  And you don't have to worry about having your music imbedded with DRM (Digital Rights Management), like the majority of iTunes music.  Of course, they offer some DRM free songs now because they have realized that Amazon is so much better.  My point is that with Grooveshark you get all the awesome things about iTunes without having to deal with all the crappy things.  Sweet deal.

Amazing

The video chat last night was phenomenal.  Mike and I really think that Kaylee is starting to realize that it was Daddy's face on the screen.  Not only was she smiling when he made faces at her, but she was making the funniest noises. 

She has started making double sounds.  You know?  Not just saying "ahhh."  She has moved on to a noise that sometimes sounds like "raaa" and other times sounds like "waaa."  Except not the crying "waaa" sound.  Just an adorable noise that makes me giggle because once she starts making it, she won't stop.  It's hilarious!!

Also, we went to the apple orchard for the first time yesterday.  We only stayed for a few minutes, but my mother-in-law and I really wanted Kaylee to be able to see the trees and the apples.  So we got some cute pictures of her trying to put the apple in her mouth.  Of course, it was not exactly clean so I didn't let her have it!  But it was a fun trip and I think Kaylee really enjoyed it.  And we got to buy some awesome apple cider!  Yummy!!

Video Chat

Video chat is pretty much amazing. 

Today, my husband left for a conference in PA.  He's really looking forward to it, but at the same time, he is sad because this will be the longest time he has gone without seeing Kaylee.  So this afternoon when he had some downtime because registration hadn't started yet, I used my laptop to video chat with him.  Kaylee got to see him and he got to watch her try to play with my laptop.  It was so funny and he loved getting to see her even though he is not home.

Using Google video chat allows him to see her pretty face even when he is away.  I think it makes going to the conference a little bit easier for him.

Got to love technology!! 

Fountain of Pee

People always tell you that when you have a baby boy, you have to worry about them peeing on you.  "Be careful when you change that diaper!  Make sure you keep something over that thing or else you'll be sorry!"  What they don't tell you is that some baby girls have the ability to pee like boys!

Last night, Kaylee peed on me yet again.  This is the second time it has happened.  Fool me twice, shame on me.  Somehow, she has the absolute best (or worst, depending on how you look at it) timing. 

When we get her ready for her bath at night, she is only naked for a few seconds before she gets in the bath.  I feel like she must love the feeling of the air on her privates and it makes her feel like that would be a great time to pee.

I got her out of her clothes and her diaper while she was laying down, then I pulled her up to a standing position, ready to sit her in the bath in just a second.  She chose that moment to start letting go of her fountain of pee.  It sprayed all over her bath towel, all over the floor, quite a bit got on my pajama pants, and some even found it's way onto my slippers.  And it made its way onto all of these things even though Grandma tried her best to block the fountain with her hand.

But no, Kaylee would not be thwarted.  Somehow, the spray made its way all over the place.  And of course, Kaylee smiled and laughed the entire time, as though she knew exactly what she was doing.

She is adorable, but it does drive me nuts when she chooses moments like this to spray pee all over the place.  Luckily, I have a sense of humor.  I laughed when it happened and I am laughing thinking about it now.  If you can't laugh about these things, parenthood would be quite difficult and miserable.

Children are wonderful and amazing.  And yes, sometimes they drive you nuts.  But I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Vow Renewal: Part 2

To continue the story of the vow renewal, I think that I must mention that we have awesome friends.  Not only did they get up in front of the 160 other people at the vow renewal, but they participated in a dance routine.  The DJ coordinated a lovely dance number with some of our friends dressed as the Jackson 5.  It was wonderful.  And they even signed our keepsake photo frame as the Jackson 5.  It is something we will look back on and smile.


Not only did they do a fantastic job, but other friends joined in when the DJ came down to lead the dance routine.  It was hilarious and so much fun.  Everyone had a great time dancing and watching.  It was one of the momentous moments of the night.  With everyone smiling and laughing, it really gave a great vibe that continued throughout the night.

Another part of the night that I would like to mention is the moment when all the little girls decided to sing Taylor Swift up on the stage.  The DJ gave them some cute stuff to wear and they started singing and laughing.  My niece Abbey even decided to take the microphone from the DJ because she knew all the words to the song.  The girls were adorable and everyone could tell they were having an amazing time.  For me, it was so wonderful to see that even the little ones were having so much fun.

I love looking back on each of these moments because they prove one thing.  Everyone had a fantastic time.  Mike and I liked the idea of renewing our vows, but that was not why we wanted to do the vow renewal.  More importantly, we wanted a chance to celebrate our marriage with friends and family.  We didn't get to do that last year.  It was primarily family.  So our purpose in doing this vow renewal was mostly to make sure we celebrated with friends and family and that everyone had an amazing time at the party.  I have to say, we definitely accomplished this.  It was a great party and we will never forget the fun times and the love of our family and friends.

We love you all!  <3

Vow Renewal: Part 1

My husband and I renewed our vows on Saturday and had a huge reception to celebrate with our friends and family.  It was absolutely amazing and I'm so glad that we decided to do it.  The ceremony was quick, simple, but beautiful.

We did our own vows this time and I'm so glad.  It was nerve-wracking standing in front of about 170 people thinking that I would totally blank and forget what I was going to say.  But the second I opened my mouth, the words just started flowing and even though it was not what I had planned to say, it was perfect.  My husband said that when he started talking, the same thing happened.  What he ended up saying sounded so true and so right that he was happy about the fact that everything changed at the last minute.

Our DJ, Brian McCarthy from AllStar Entertainment, was phenomenal.  He really got the crowd going and his dance moves were both hilarious and awesome.  Everyone loved him and thought that he truly is an entertainer, not just a DJ.  We highly recommend him if anyone is looking for an amazing DJ for any kind of event that requires entertainment.

The night was also wonderful because we got to introduce our 6 month old daughter Kaylee to everyone important to us who had not met her yet.  It's hard to keep in touch with everyone all the time.  And as a result, so many people had not yet met her.  Everyone was so excited to see her and she looked so adorable in her cute little white dress from her Auntie Julie.  Kaylee did amazing throughout the night.  We can't believe how happy she was and how well she did with all the loud music and being surrounded by so many people.  She even let a bunch of people hold her even though she didn't know them, which is huge since she has been having some separation anxiety issues lately.

Speaking of Kaylee, she is now crying.  So I will make this part 1 of the vow renewal post and continue this later.

Jumperoo

Oh the Jumperoo.  Best.  Invention.  Ever.

Kaylee absolutely loves to kick.  So we always knew we would have to get her some kind of contraption that would allow her to kick.  Now that she can almost sit up on her own, her Grandma got her a Jumperoo.  She was hesitant at first, but now she loves it!

And what makes the Jumperoo even better is that it helps her stomach and back muscles.  The more she uses it, the better she is when we try to sit her up on her own.  Now, it takes her a little bit before she inevitably topples over sideways or falls forward onto her belly.

And watching her in the Jumperoo is hilarious.  We stick a pillow under her feet so that she has something to kick since she is still a bit small for it.  When she realized that there was something underneath her that she could kick, she went nuts.  Now when we smile and talk to her, she gets all excited and bounces up and down.  It is the cutest thing to watch.

Besides being adorable, the contraption also keeps her entertained.  When I need to, for example, do some work for class (papers, posts, blogs, projects) or maybe have some lunch, it keeps her busy just long enough for me to get a little something done.

I love the Jumperoo and I think it was a great purchase.  I hope Kaylee continues to love it as much as we love watching her in it!!

Video Games

Today, I want to bring up the topic of playing video games.  I never used to play any video games, except the occasional game of SSX Tricky on the Playstation in my parent's basement.  I just loved the snowboarding.  But when I met my husband, everything changed.

Of course, I thought Plants vs. Zombies was such a stupid, pointless game.  But what happened?  Mike got me to try it and then I was hooked.  How about Left 4 Dead?  I thought that I would never be able to play a game like that.  I'd never been into shooting games and I figured running into a crowd of zombies might freak me out.  It was creepy just watching Mike play that game.

But....one day, he got me to try it.  And yes, I was horrible.  I didn't play for a while after that, but then Mike decided to buy the game for me.  Of course I had to give it another try then.  And the more I played, the better I got.  And the more I enjoyed it.  So we were able to play a video game together and we both had a great time.

We stopped playing the game together for a while when our daughter Kaylee was born.  Mike would occasionally ask me to play, but I was exhausted and never felt like playing.  But Kaylee is 6 months now and lately we have been playing Left 4 Dead 2 after I put her to bed.  I am really glad that we started again because now I remember how much fun we used to have.

When you marry a gamer, this is something to keep in mind.  Playing video games with your significant other is a good idea.  It allows you both to have some fun and it does not have to be extremely time-consuming if you don't want it to be.  It also shows your husband/wife that you are interested in what they enjoy doing.  I love playing Left 4 Dead with my husband.  And according to him, that makes me a pretty awesome wife.  And I like being awesome. 

Early Internet

I'm finding that the history of early Internet is not keeping me interested for very long.  I keep trying to write this paper, but my mind starts to wander.  Apparently, I would rather do anything else right now...like blog...

Maybe I am going about this the wrong way.  There are no specifications, so maybe if I tried to transform the paper into something I find interesting, like specific parts of Internet history, then I will be more apt to actually sit down and write more than a couple of sentences.  This is definitely an idea worth looking at more closely.  I wonder if it will work...

Negotiating a Price for a House

Buying a house, as I mentioned in a previous post, can be extremely stressful.  Once you get deeper into the process, things become more complicated.  One thing that I think could be easier is the part where the buyers and the sellers negotiate the selling price of the house.

Our buying agent told us that houses usually sell for 97-98% of their asking price.  His aim was to do better than that.  We had a price point that we could not go over.  And obviously, the sellers had a price point that they would not go under.

So negotiations begin with us making an offer that is far below anything we know would be accepted.  As buyers, we do this knowing that they will hopefully come down a bit in price, then we will come up, then they will come down, etc.  Eventually, we will meet in the middle and all will be good in the world.  This is just ideally what will happen, but it is not always the case.

In our situation, it is obvious that our top price possibility was the sellers lowest price that they would accept for their house.  So after much back and forth, which only took 2 days since we were all pretty committed to making this sale happen, we finally came to that middle number that we could all accept.

My question is, why couldn't we just skip the in-between stages.  Obviously, they had a number in mind and so did we.  The bidding was just a waste of time.  I know that people want to get the most for their house.  But if a couple bids low on a house, then they are obviously not willing to pay the full asking price.  It would be easier to just sit down and work it out if that is possible, especially if there has not been any other offers for the house and the sellers are paying 2 mortgages because they have already moved.

After all is said and done, we will end up paying about 96% of the original asking price for the house.  So our buying agent got exactly what he wanted and did his job well.  We are happy and now we just have to worry about the inspections going well.  And if everything works out, we will be moving our family into our very first home within the next few months.  It is crazy and exciting!!  :-)  Yay!!

Finding New Books

There are so many different websites that help people to find books to read that are similar to books that they already know they enjoy.  Some of these include: Whichbook and What Should I Read Next.  However, I've tried these sites and I don't love them.  They're okay sometimes, but definitely not my first choice.

Where do I go to find new books??  I use Amazon.  I have to say, it is the best.  You can narrow things down by category and easily find tons of books that will fit what you're looking for.  And every time you are looking at a book on the page, you have "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" and "Tags Customers Associate With This Product."  These are extremely useful.  You also have reviews, which generally give you a pretty good idea of whether or not you will like a book, if you know what to look for when you read them. 

Some people say that they do not want to just trust other readers when they are looking for new books that they might like.  But it really is the best way to find something new to read.  If you and another person both love the same book, chances are that there will be other books you will both love.  Also, I prefer reading the reviews of people who have actually read the book than having something like Whichbook or What Should I Read Next connect some dots and give you books that might be similar to the book you liked, but it also may be missing a key element.  You might like vampire books, but hate a specific series because it just isn't the same in terms of writing, myth, etc.

When I'm searching for new books to read, I usually go straight to Amazon.  And most of the time, I find a plethora of new reading material to keep me busy for quite some time.  Gotta love Amazon!!

Buying a House

Buying a house for the first time inspires a lot of emotions:  it's exciting, nerve-wracking, and it kind of makes you crazy.  Not crazy in a bad way.  Crazy in a "I can't believe this is happening!" kind of way.  Seeing house after house can be a little overwhelming, until all of a sudden, you walk into a house and it is somehow different. 

For some reason, everything you see in this one house seems perfect.  You start to see the possibilities, picturing your bed here and your television there.  Wondering what it would be like if you ripped up those carpets and had the hardwood floors that you know are lingering underneath.  What could you do to that sunroom with the pellet stove?  Don't you just love that fridge?  And the house comes with all the appliances?!  All these thoughts float around in your head while you are looking at the house, when you are lying in bed that night, and as you look at all the houses thereafter.  This house is always in your mind.

Then, you start to think about finances.  How much is it?  Can we afford it?  How much will it cost to heat it in the winter?  Air conditioner in the summer?  How much should our down payment be? 

If you decide to make an offer, where do you start?  How low is too low?  I mean, you don't want the offer to be insulting.

Once you make an offer, then you have the house inspections.  Which are more expensive than you thought, but obviously worth it when you're spending so much money on a house.

In the end, buying a house is a crazy, nerve-wracking experience unlike any other.  But it's also something amazing and wonderful.  Something that brings you into the next stage of life.  Something that allows you and your family to grow into a whole new life together.  It's overwhelming for a reason.  So that it is taken seriously and with the proper amount of thought and caution.

But when all is said and done, it is an exciting step to take with the person you love.  Your family is possibly buying the house that your children will grow up in.  And it's just awesome.

Eureka

Simply because it is Monday and this happens to be on my mind, I figure that I might as well share.  I am severely disappointed in Fox and SyFy...and not just because they made the decision to change over from Sci-Fi.

Let us rewind just a little bit.  Way back when, Fox cancelled an amazing show called Firefly.  Granted, I never watched the show when it was on TV, but that is beside the point.  Once I was introduced to the show, I was hooked.  And then...I ran out of episodes.  So I watched the movie Serentiy, which was based on Firefly.  And then that was over.  I found myself furious that Fox would cancel such an amazing show, especially considering the ridiculously large fan base who, like me, are STILL outraged that the show was cancelled.  We still hold out hope for a comeback.  But it seems like Sci-Fi is simply no able to keep amazing shows running.

Fast forward to the present.  Once again, I am in love with a show on what is now called SyFy (::sigh::).  My husband and I religiously watch Eureka because it is action-packed and hilarious.  We love the town; we love the characters; we love everything.  You know what we don't love??  The fact that SyFy is cancelling Eureka.  The show was supposed to be all set for a 6th season (of course, they still intended to cancel it after that).  But now there is not even going to be a 6th season.  They have decided to wrap things up with the 13-episode 5th season.  All the wonderful story lines, all the amazing characters...Done.  This saddens me today, Monday, because Eureka is on tonight.  It is the next to last episode of the 4th season.  The only thing positive about the 4th season ending is that I have all the time between now and the premiere of next season to look forward to more Eureka.  Of course, once the next season begins, that will be the beginning of the end.  Oh SyFy, why must you torture me so.

Top 5 Things About the Kindle

At first I told my husband that I could never get a Kindle.  I wasn't willing to give up my wonderful paperbacks.  I loved the feel of them; I loved having one in my purse at all times; I even loved the smell of them.  Then I started saying, "well, maybe I'll get one at some point...but not now."  Soon, I decided I wanted one for Christmas.  When I got it, I figured that I would still carry regular paperbacks around sometime.  However, almost a year later, I have become quite addicted to my Kindle.  It is probably my favorite electronic device.  Why?  Well here are some of the top reasons I believe the Kindle to be absolutely amazing:

1. Book Storage

I used to love having a paperback in my purse because I never knew when I would want/need something to read.  With the Kindle, I have the ability to carry literally thousands of books with me.  And I get to choose which one I want to read while I am out and about.  The Kindle has the ability to store thousands of books.  No matter what mood I am in, there is something in my Kindle that will suit me.  It also allows for me to read some books that I would otherwise put off reading simply because I did not want to carry them around.  I do not mind reading extremely long books, but it is not always convenient to carry huge books around with me when I am traveling.  For example, I always wanted to read Jane Austen's Emma, but the copy I have was huge.  When I got the Kindle, I read Emma and absolutely loved it.

2. Battery Life

I have the Kindle cover that has a built-in LED book light.  And I have a tendency to read a lot at night before I go to bed.  Even using the Kindle to power the book light, the battery still lasts for a few weeks before I need to charge it.  Also, since the Kindle uses micro USB to charge, I don't always need to have the specific Kindle charger with me.  I can use the charger for my phone or my husband's phone, since all use micro USB.  It is extremely convenient.

3. Sample Chapters

I love the fact that Amazon lets you download sample chapters to the Kindle.  As is often the case, I tend to read a lot of books from the same authors.  So if I see a book that I have never read, then I can download the sample and get a taste before I decide to buy it.  Also, Amazon suggests books I might like based on what I have already downloaded.  So I can download the sample chapter of those books before spending money on something I may not like in the end.

4. Ability to Search in the Book

It is great to be able to take a book, perhaps for a class, and search for a specific passage.  Sometimes, if you have to write an essay, there is a certain part of the book that you know would be perfect for a quote.  But if you are not sure exactly where the passage is, it can be quite difficult to find.  But with the Kindle's search feature, it is nice and easy.  All you have to do is remember some kind of key word in the passage and you're all set.

5. Free 3G

I bought the Kindle that was a little more expensive, but included 3G.  And you do not need to pay for it each month, like you do with the iPad.  Granted, using the Internet on the Kindle is not exactly easy or fun most of the time.  However, the most important use of Internet on the Kindle, in my opinion, is the ability to buy more books from the Kindle store.  Obviously that was Amazon's thought as well, considering this is where most of their money is made with the Kindle.  Although the 3G is not amazing for surfing the web, it works extremely well when it comes to launching and browsing the Amazon Kindle Store.  No matter where I am, I can get onto the Kindle Store and find new books to download.  For me, that is worth spending the extra money to have 3G capability.

My husband and I are renewing our vows in October and I have been trying to make planning the event as easy as possible.  But no matter how hard I might try, not everything is in my control.  For example, I can send self-addressed self-stamped envelopes for the RSVP's, but I cannot make people send them out.  Granted, I made the RSVP date one week before I needed the actual numbers, so I knew the RSVP's would be a problem.  Let's face it, they always are.  Going into this weekend (the RSVP date was Friday), I have still not gotten RSVP's from upwards of 40 people.  Herein lies the problem.  Even though I have heard from some of these people, saying that they are coming, I have not gotten their RSVP.  Obviously, I have issues with being a bit of a control freak and I don't like not having a physical RSVP.  To me, the RSVP says to me that they have taken the time to mark the event on a calendar and will not forget about it.  The people who simply tell me they are coming are those I worry will forget.

I'm so excited for the renewal and I wish I could just fast forward past all the planning.  Doesn't planning just drive you nuts sometimes?!?!  I love planning and organization, but I feel like since it is an event that I am planning for myself, I am far too involved to be doing all the planning without going nuts.  Hopefully, I will get all the RSVP's and the event will go off without a hitch.  Let's face it, what are the odds of that happening.  However, whether or not things go wrong, I know that on that day, I will not care in the least.  Because I am celebrating my life with my wonderful husband and our lovely new family.  The event doesn't need to be perfect, as long as we're all there.

Top 3 Unexpected Things About Being a Stay-at-Home Mom

1. Time Consumption

Everyone knows that babies are hard work.  But what I didn't expect was that Kaylee (who is now 6 months old) would occupy every second of my waking (and sometimes sleeping) hours.  This was especially true due to the fact that once she was past the "I sleep all day, every day and anywhere you put me" phase (which lasted a mere couple of weeks), she refused to sleep anywhere but in my arms.  And even that was a trial in itself.  Just to get her to nap, I felt like I had to have 6 arms so that I could pat her back, hold the pacifier in her mouth, rock her, and maybe rub my tummy and my head at the same time while hopping on one foot.  At least, that's what it felt like.  Things got a bit easier when I decided to crib train her.  Well, they got easier for me.  She definitely wasn't happy about it at first.  But even though she cried almost nonstop for that first couple of days, it was worth it in the end.  I now have a little time to myself each day while she happily takes her naps in her crib.  My biggest piece of advice to new moms would have to be: put them in a crib for naps.  Maybe by the time they are 2-3 months old.  It really will be worth it.  Having absolutely no time to yourself WILL drive you crazy.  Even with her napping in the crib, it has already taken an exorbitant amount of time to write this short paragraph. 

2. Exhaustion

Right along with time consumption, comes exhaustion.  If you have a fussy baby (or a colicky baby, as they like to call it), this is especially true.  Kaylee was fussy all the time.  So besides having to hold her for all of her naps, she also refused to be put down any other time of day.  As she got older, when she started to play with toys, she always had to be held.  Occasionally, she will play alone on her activity mat.  But it's not something to count on.  So by the end of the day, I found that I was physically and mentally exhausted from holding her and entertaining her all day long.  Not to mention the fact that I nurse her and that can be exhausting too.  She was only 6 pounds 7 ounces when she was born, so she had to eat frequently to get her weight up.  And since breastmilk metabolizes faster than formula, she continues to eat just about every 2-3 hours.  By the time my husband gets home in the afternoon, I'm ready for a nap.  But he has worked all day and wants some "me time," which is the same thing I want.  So when I finally crash at night, praying that Kaylee will stay asleep for a few hours at least, you'd think I would fall asleep the second I hit the pillow.  Nope.  Us crazy females always have ten million thoughts going around in our heads.  I wish I could turn my brain off at night, but it doesn't work that way.  As a result of the ridiculous time if takes me to fall asleep, my exhaustion carries on into the next day, thereby continuing the never-ending cycle.

3. Being There for Every Amazing/New/Exciting Moment

Now that I have discussed some of the unexpected and not-so-pleasant moments of staying home full time with a baby, I think it's time for something to make expecting moms happy, something to really look forward to.  Perhaps I should have listed this first!  Once Kaylee started to be awake more and really began to observe her surroundings, I realized that I was the one who got to see everything first.  When she saw something for the first time and really examined it, I got to see how she would react.  I got to figure out what her favorite toy was from day to day.  Because, of course, it could change any day.  Every time she did something, a facial expression or making a funny noise, everyone was so excited and they would comment how they had never heard it before and oh wasn't it just adorable.  And I would get to say "oh yeah, she started doing that a few days ago."  It amazes me each and every day that she can change so much in such short time spans.  One day she will be completely silent and the next she decides she wants to spend all day making hilarious noises that make absolutely no sense but are the cutest sounds I've ever heard.  I get to see it all.  And I couldn't be happier about it.  Being a stay-at-home mom has its ups and downs, but I have never regretted it for a second.  Seeing Kaylee smile and laugh, even if only briefly throughout the day, makes everything worth it.  She is my little girl and even though she is 6 months old now, I still hesitate before I leave her for any length of time.  Even if it is just to run to the store while she stays with Grandma.


           

Let me begin by saying that I have no idea what to do with this Blog.  I have never blogged before because I don't usually consider myself as having anything interesting to say most of the time.  However, I will do my best to come up with thoughts that will interest and intrigue.

One thing that I will admit today is that I promised myself that I would never get a Twitter account.  To be honest, I have never seen the point in them.  In general, I don't post many Facebook status updates, but instead use it to keep in touch with people and look at pictures of my nieces.  So obviously, I have no idea what to do with a Twitter.  But when I signed up for my account today, which is for the same class as this Blog, I found something interesting.  I poked around and decided to follow some Twitter accounts concerning parenting, just to have something to follow, considering I have a 6 month old daughter.  Then, I noticed a Groupon was posted by MomsWhoSave that was for Mixbook, a website that I have used several times because they do great photo books.  I shared the coupon with my husband and my family because it was a great deal.  All of a sudden, I realized that my Twitter account had proved itself useful the first day that I had it.  I guess I should not have been so quick to judge.  I still don't see the point of sharing countless status messages each day, which so many people do, but I guess I can see how Twitter can be used in other practical ways.  Perhaps it will prove to be useful more often than I think.