Man of the House

Now that we are finally elbow deep in med school, and I say we bc as Russell attends the classes, it is a huge sacrifice for each of us, but totally worth it to see Russell's dream come true!!!,,, I have noticed more and more in the past month Jett growing up into this little man. Gosh, It feels like just yesterday I was trying to figure out, OMG, how do I tell my dad I'm pregnant?!?!Lol, And now Jett is running around as a little independent mini Russell, and he is already almost 4 yrs old.... SHEWWWWW Time sure does fly esp when you're having fun ;) So!! Russell always has to go back to school for study time after the boys are put to bed, but my little smarty pants, Jett, has picked up on Russell's routine. Ah-hah so everynight it is like clock work, we get the boys in their PJ's tuck them in, Russell leaves about 10 min after the boys are down, and then BAM 5 min pass and I see a little blond head poke around the corner, of course he is checking to see if Russ is still here, and then he gives me his charming little smile and says, "mom I wanna see a movie, pleeeeeaaaassssssssse"., and this goes back in fort for an hour atleast! Well, tonight was a tad bit different... we tucked the boys in, and Russell headed out lugging all his books making a little bit of noise, so I knew Jett would hear him leave & be out of his room in just a few minutes. So I waited & I waited, hmmmm no Jett. Maybe the run to the park really wore him out & he just fell asleep... Nope! Jett was just a little late making his way out tonight. Being a little late wasn't the only difference in tonight's little escapades... he struts out of his room, and he has this whole tough guy image going on. I simply say " Jett, you need to go to bed" and he responds with " Mom! I'm going to bed, but I need to tell you that if any bad guy comes here all you have to do is scream and I will kick his butt" I try to hold back a smirk bc it was the cutest thing I had ever seen, but I knew he was trying to be taken seriously so I just say"ok & thanks" ( i guess)... then, HOLD ON, get Better, he puts his hand on my head and says, " Mom, you dont have to be scared, I'm just in my room" Oh.My.Frickin.Lordy, it was down right the cutest little display of , well Iodnt know, but it was adorable, and that is when I realized... I am so proud of Jett for attempting to step in as "man of the house" while his daddy has to be away!

Blame it on the a-a-a-al-coh-ol

Let me start by saying, what a JERK!!!

It has been an "angie' ritual, one so sacred, a ritual that I used to share with my sister growing up, to ALWAYS watch MTV's VMA's. My older sister was music's biggest fan, we didn't call her "dancing queen" for nothing :) ...and growing up I had to do everything my older sister did, and I of course I loved everything my older sister loved, she was my idol...
so although i can't sing to save my life, and have a little"white girl" shake that sometimes busts out, I learned the love of music & dance from her, and now that my sister has passed, I still keep our little rituals alive to remember those fun memories from long ago....
SOOOOO of course I was anticipating 2009 VMA's! It starts with the fantastic pre-show of the fashionably late arrivals of some of music's legends and pops newest stars! I get so excited to see the latest fashion, who is wearing what, which accessories they choose to match the cutest pairs of shoes that I can only dream of one day having in my closet! aaaahhh I love it, the hair the make up the dresses... LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION!
The 2009 VMA's was one that I was most excited to see, this year Madonna & Ms. Janet Jackson were going to grace the same stage minutes apart to honor one of me & Kristen's oldest/greatest idols, Michael Jackson!!! I just knew that this years VMA's would not disappoint so I put the boys to be early settled in my most comfy lounge clothes and pressed play on TIVO! The Preshow wardrobe & glamor lived up to my expectations, the tribute to Michael was as heartfelt as I imagined, and Lady Gaga's outfit was just as absurd as I thought it would be.
Everything was off to a great start, and then the 1st award was given to none other than the wholesome, sweet Taylor Swift! I don't think I need to rehash the rudest moment in VMA history, out of all the years of watching I have never ever seen such a spectacle and such a jack ass...What a selfish Jerk! I hope anyone reading this deletes any of his music from their ipod! Anyway, I woke up this morning & my favorite singer, Pink, summed Kanye up the best & then put on a rockin show. So thank you Pink, for saying out loud everything the world was thinking, oh and for being so damn awesome. Pink did put on the best show last night! Kuddos...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhjYG474nKM&feature=player_embedded

the avg "Stay at home mommy" salary

Since I am fairly new to the "stay at home mom" job, I have found it to be quite rigorous, detailed, messy, but too rewarding to want to quit!
I have held a job out in the "real world" since I was 14 yrs old. I have done everything from working as an exec administrator to project management to selling insurance and well cant forget my 1st job, selling men's construction boots. I always woke up to an alarm running out the door quickly to finish applying my mascara & lip gloss in the car. I have always been greeted by fellow employees eager to tell me about upcoming weekend plans & make jokes about the past weekend plans. Aaahhh but once I was up, dressed in my finest & said my hello's it was time to focus and strive for a productive workday, oh with a lunch break thrown in and a few 15 min breaks here & there, OooHhhh the "Real World"
Now bc I have 2 very small children & my husband is in medical school all day & night living on a student loan, I can't afford the cost of daycare for my 2 beautiful boys. The only reasonable idea I could think of is to take on this stay at home mommy job and do it the best I can, I mean how hard can it be, I have been a working woman for 15 yrs!!!!
Well, those are words I can eat.
Now I do not wake up to alarm, instead I wake up to my 3 yr old driving a car up my leg saying uh-oh mommy, I had an accident! and my 1yr old screaming his morning ritual plea to be released from his crib.
Forget about the mascara & lipgloss, I am lucky if I get to brush my hair before noon.
There is no more adults around to tell me funny jokes or tell me stories of the past weekends escapades... Now I usually only hear voices of animated cartoon characters teaching me my abc's & 123's.
Oh & a lunch break, or any break in general, just throw that one out the window. You have no one to call in sick too & if you want a vacation well then you better be prepared to pack a million things for your 2 kids and make that vacay very kid friendly!
I have never worked so hard before in my life, no job has ever required so many skills & so much of my time!
But No other job has ever given me or can give me the love, Joy, & laughter that my new "stay at home mommy" job does! i wouldn't trade this time for anything in the world :)
I did however find this interesting article to help calculate the wages I am due for all my work, so I figure if I "need" to buy a pair of shoes or cute purse, it is totally justified! Just look at all the money I have saved the family, lol

What mothers are really worth
Stay-at-home mothers wear many hats. They're the family CEO, the day care provider, accountant, chauffeur, counselor, chef, nurse, laundress, entertainer, personal stylist, and educator. Based on a 90-hour work week, Salary.com has estimated that a fair wage for the typical stay-at-home mom would be well over $90,000 for executing all of her daily tasks. Factor in overtime, and the appropriate salary takes a leap of around $25,000.

"Mothers are responsible for the mental and physical well being of the family - putting a price on that isn't easy," said Lena Bottos, compensation market analyst for Salary.com. "But we looked at it as what you would have to pay other people to do the same work if the mom weren't there."

Even if these mothers were getting paid what they'd be worth on the market, Bottos added that they still wouldn't be adequately compensated. "When you take into account that it represents a 90-hour workweek, and doesn't even begin to factor in that they are on call 24 hours a day, it's not so large. Plus, stay-at-home moms get no benefits in terms of pension or 401(k)."

Mom jobs

Job title	Annual salary
Child Day Care Worker	$20,259
Teacher	$44,824
Taxi Driver	$27,346
Facilities Manager	$73,239
Short-order Cook	$27,477
Laundry Attendant	$17,917
Janitor	$22,440
Counselor	$27,638
CEO	$545,268
Administrative Assistant III	$37,143
Accounting Clerk III	$34,842
Licensed Practical Nurse	$38,111
Plumber I	$33,155
Automotive Mechanic I	$30,725
Cake Decorator	$21,340

J

Taste of Colorado

Today I was lucky enough to have a "day date" with not just one, but 3 handsome fellows, Yep, Russell, Jett & Jameson! Since Russell's school started our schedules are more hechtic and crazy than ever, and it has been very rare that we can all spend a full day together. We ventured out to "Taste of Colorado" and just like everything else in our life it was very amusing to say the least.
The boys were sooooo happy bc they got their favorite, corn on the cob. I was pleased with my spicy Japenese rice bowl, and well Russell was pleased with a mix of crawfish, Jamaican Jerk, and cactus! Now you understand why I can cook pretty much anything and he thinks it's great, he isn't a very picky eater =)
The festivities also included live music, beer stands, margarita stands & wine tastings... that is why I included the 2 photos of this nice man who was more than eager to entertain me & the boys while Russell went on another "food run". As long as the band was playing he was twirling, but as you can see, when the music stopped, he stopped and kind of just fell backwards.Sort of reminded me of a game of musical chairs--- minus the chairs, and minus the other people playing.
All in all it was successful day, the boys left sticky & dirty & Russell left with a full belly... Seriously, what more could a girl ask for?!?!

living in the wild wild west

For many, Colorado may not be considered the "wild wild West", as for me... this is as wild and as west as it gets!
Russell & I have finally settled in our beautiful little townhome in Parker, Co, that's right, I said COLORADO:) I still can't believe this east coast girl is living mountain standard time. Life here in the Rocky mountains has been anything but dull, it is filled with beautiful scenery & magestic mountains. Granted I do miss the beach:( but I have found some satisfaction in the 45 min drive up to look out mountain, and Jett & Jameson love when I roll all the windows down blast the radio and take off towards the peaks. It has been amazing and life changing to experience the beauty and awe of God's work.
I titled this the wild wild west not bc the crazy lifestyle we have now adapted to in "medschool" but bc my first week here in the quaint town of Parker, we experienced 4 tornado warnings, and 2 weeks later I experienced my 1st hail storm, shewwwwwy!
Who would of thought that in the middle of summer, driving back from the store on a clear sunny 90 deg day, out of nowhere your truck would be plummeted by huge balls of ice. Interesting! I guess there is a price to pay to wake up every morning the most beautiful sunrises. We live a short 2 hours from Wyoming, and I have made that trip a few times already. It is amazingly gorgeous heading out that way, and it is definitely cowboy country. Every movie I saw when I was little about the wild west had to have been filmed in Wyoming. It is unbelievable. We have seen much more than deer, we have encountered elk as well as buffalo out there, definitely animals you that you wouldn't see on the side of I-95 back home :P Just a few weeks ago, I drove out of our very populated neighborhood only to turn a corner and see a huge elk running through the parking lot of the local grocery store, of course I slammed on my brakes, causing a ruckus behind me as I sat there in the middle of the road flipping out trying to find my camera. Typical me... Needless to say I am very thankful we moved here in the summer while the weather, besides the tornadoes & hail storms permitted, and I have been able to admire the beauty and wonders of Colorado during the wrm sunny days. This is to be continued once i see the st snow flurry and temps get below 50 deg. eeeeeeek I may start missing Florida:)
I do miss all of my friends & family & can't wait for all the visits so we can explore this state together!