24 hrs Till Moving Day

In less than 24 hours it will be the day I officially say 'goodbye' to my hometown of Chicago for good.  For the first few weeks after we received the news of my husband's new position at the Scottrade headquarters in St. Louis I was so excited about the big change for our family but as the days went on the fear set in.  Don't misunderstand, I am still very excited but I'm so afraid of leaving all that I've ever known behind.  We also do not have a place to call our own yet.  We will be staying with his mother in a two bedroom 800sf house till we find a place.  I do not know how we are going to do it but we will because it has to be done.  I'm just hoping we can find a place sooner than later.  This has made my house packing a whole lot more complicated.  Now everything has to be labeled either "storage" or "Mom's house".  AND I am leaving for Arizona 3 days after we arrive in St. Louis.  Geez!!
If you've been reading some of my posts you will already know that Jeff has already left for St. Louis to start his new job.  It's been quite stressful packing a 4 bedroom house with two toddlers always needing and wanting your attention.  This has quite possibly been one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do.  I know it will all be over very soon but till then I feel like I am going to have a breakdown of some sort.  To top it off Bella has not been napping the last few days and she has been refusing to go to bed at her normal bedtime of 8pm.  I do not know what to do.  I tried everything... bathing her, reading to her, hanging out with her, playing with her hair, letting her stay up to watch TV (this is what she keeps wanting to do).  If  I let her CIO she wakes up Riley and that a whole other set of problems for me.  I just feel like crying.
Okay, back to the moving... I have super worried about our furniture getting ruined, especially my dining room set.  I came up with this little idea for extra protection.  Not sure it has never been done before but I thought of it on my own :)
I covered the table with a fitted sheet and covered the chairs with pillow cases... I'm a genius! lol

My Love/Hate Relationship With Tide

Is it just me or does Tide leave your towels with that funky mildew smell if you use it for too long.  I feel like every time I switch back to using it I end up having to re-set my towels by defunking them with baking soda and vinegar.  It drives me crazy!  I immediately put them in the dryer after the wash cycle is done.  I put them in the dryer for over 2 hours to be sure there is no leftover moisture.  I mean, what am I missing?
Oh wait... Is it because I store them in the closet in our bathroom???  Ugh!!  It's probably from all the humidity during showers!  I'm such a moron!  Tide, I retract all negative statements until further investigating is complete :)

The unbalanced discovery boosts the unseen blast.

Time to Give Out Awards...

I'm so excited to announce that I have been nominated for the Liebster Blog Award by Jaime @ Mrs Mama Panda. Thank you so much!!!

The Liebster Blog Award:

The Liebster Blog Award is given to bloggers by bloggers. It is a way to acknowledge each other and say “you’re doing a great job”. It is for blogs with 200 or less followers, so it’s also a great way to spread the word about smaller blogs and get them more readers and followers! When you receive the award, you post 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions from the person(s) who nominated you. You pass the Award onto 11 other blogs (make sure you tell them you nominated them!) and ask them 11 questions. You’re not allowed to nominate the blog(s) who nominated you! (To get the button, right click the picture on my page and save the picture to your computer. You can then upload to your blog.)

11 Random Facts About Me:

1. I was a Hooters Girl for over 5 years

2. I went to private school from K-12

3. I kissed one of the New Kids on the Block when I was 15 (Donnie W.)

4. I am the oldest of 3 kids (2 brothers) by 8 and 10 years

5. My husband and I are moving our family this week from Chicago to St. Louis

6. My husband was once my boss

7. I really wish I had the discipline to stick to my workouts and healthy diets

8. I LOVE anything BBQ

10. I have a toddler with a speech delay and it's really taught me to be more patient 

11. I have had about 20 jobs my whole life

My Nominations Go To:

Utterly ellie

Riding the Crazy Train: Diary of a Delirious Mom

My Mad World

The Momma Bear Diaries

Camilleta

(Sorry, I can't find anyone else with less than 200 followers)

Questions I was Asked:
1. What's one thing you must do daily?  Check Groupon and Living Social Deals (and shower)
2. What movie could you watch over and over?  Titanic
3. Favorite memory as a child? Going berry picking with my family.  We did it all the time.
4. Mountains or ocean? Ocean
5. What's the most pets you've had at one time? One...I don't think I could ever have more than that.
6. What book are you currently reading? None...too busy packing for move
7. Favorite movie? Stand By Me
8. Last time you went on vacation? My honeymoon... 2009 Riviera Maya
9. Favorite flower? Daisys
10. Favorite season? Autumn
11. Favorite sport? Baseball and Football...can't pick just one!

Questions For My Nominees:

1. What's the best book you've ever read?

2. Where's your favorite vacation destination that you have traveled to?

3. What made you start blogging?

4. What is the oddest job you've held?

5. If you could have any occupation in the world, what would it be?

6. East Coast or West Coast

7. How many FB friends do you have...not fans?

8. What's your favorite food?

9. Name one thing you couldn't live without (not people)?

10. Favorite television series

11. Snooki or Kim Kardashian...who would you rather spend 24 hrs with?

The Loss of Our Dog, Titan

Back in March we lost our wonderful dog, Titan.  Just typing the words makes me tear up.  It's been four very tough months.  He was an amazing dog... he was more than that...he was my fur baby, my daughter's brother, my husband lil  man!  He died from renal failure.  His last days were very tough on all of us.  He lost a lot of weight, couldn't keep anything down and became very weak.  You could just see the sadness in him.  We decided it was best to put him down.  We didn't want to take him to the vet because we feared taking him into that kind of environment would only stress him out more so we contacted a vet that came to our home to have him euthanized.  I would highly recommend giving your pet the same comfort should you ever have to make this horrible decision.  
Since the loss of Titan, Bella has been very attached to a stuffed puppy that she has had for awhile but never paid much attention to in the past.  It was a confusing time for her.  We didn't really explain it to her because we didn't know how much she would really understand.  I kept telling her that he was very sick during his last days but I didn't want her to associate being sick with dying.  He was also old...he would have been 14 on July 7th.  She kept asking about him over the following weeks.  She'd find his toys and run around the house calling his name to give them to him.  It was so gut wrenching!!  
Yesterday we went for a walk around the neighborhood and she decided to bring "Puppy" with us.  Here's a pic (my camera worked for the first time in weeks)

Mommy Said the "F" Word!

Okay, I'm going to make an embarrassing confession...  I am going through an ugly phase where I swear like a truck driver.  I used to have quite the potty mouth before the girls were born but I really toned it down a lot. For some reason I have been back at it lately.  Sometimes I think it's just because I am incredibly overwhelmed with this move we are making.  My husband has already left for St. Louis to start his new job and I am home in Chicago with the girls packing up the house... alone!!  I know it's no excuse but my temper has also been out of control.  I feel so bad for the little ones.  I am extremely irritable and the smallest things are totally setting me off.  To top it off I'm dealing with a "spirited" 2 year old and a teething toddler!  I have zero help...nobody to watch them for me while I shake it off and reset myself.  My 2 year old has also started waking up at 4am wide awake and asking to watch television...and she's been refusing to go to bed at 8pm and staying up till 10pm!  WTH??  I've only been letting her do it because if I just put her in her room she screams and bangs on the door waking up my 1 year old!  But no excuses!  I really need to get it together...and FAST!  I'm making a promise to myself and to them to really work on these shortcomings.  Maybe I should make myself a swear jar??

4 Month Old in Movie Theater

I'm sure everyone has heard about the tragedy at the Colorado movie theater.  One of the most talked about stories with in that event was the 4 month old being shot during the midnight showing.  The question being asked by everyone is, "Why was there a 4 month old at a midnight showing?"  I will admit that I asked myself the same question at first but then I took a look at my own life and my circumstances.  I live in a suburb of Chicago about 35 minutes away from my extended family.  I do not have any immediate family in state.  My mother lives in Arizona and my brothers live in Ohio and Wisconsin.  I have access to a baby sitter only when my MIL is in town because as many times as I've asked, my extended family has no interest in helping me out.  I find this interesting since I'm sure I've babysat for their kids a few times growing up.
Anyway, I saw a status update on FB asking the same question which prompted me to chime in.  Nobody seems to agree with what I have to say which is fine with me.  I am usually the one that likes heated debates and tend to take the more controversial side...hee hee hee   What annoyed me most was this comment and the responding comments all came from people that usually pushing religion down everyone's throats.  Here's a snipit... tell me what you think.  I appreciate honest!!!

Diane Pagan-Munson

3 hours ago via LG Social+ · 

• As I watch the coverage of the theatre shootings in Colorado I of course have many questions as to why such senseless killing but I also have to ask the following questions, Why would you take a small child to a midnight showing of a movie ? Is it really that important to be the first to see a movie?

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      Jennifer Ragan Maybe the parents had not been out in awhile because they have a small child and decided to treat themselves to a night out and they figured they had the best chance of the baby sleeping during that showing. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have sitters.
      

      3 hours ago ·  · 1
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      Diane Pagan-Munson Jennifer, I had babsitters when my kids were young but if my going out inconvenienced my kids I just didnt go. I just accept it is the season of mylife. Not always fair or fun but just reality. I am only asking because there was a four month old baby injured at the theatre.
      

      3 hours ago ·  · 2
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      Irwin S Negron ‎^Well put^
      

      3 hours ago via mobile · 
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      Jennifer Ragan 
      

      I heard. I don't see why it was inconveniencing a 4 month old. They sleep most of the time and through anything. I just don't want to judge the parents without knowing their circumstances. I know the stress that goes along with never ha...See More

      
      

      3 hours ago ·  · 3
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      Jennifer Ragan I'm not saying it's right but i'm saying we don't know why they did it
      

      3 hours ago ·  · 1
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      Diane Pagan-Munson Jenn, I validate your frustration. I wish I could have helped you out in the baby sitting .
      

      about an hour ago · 
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      Diane Pagan-Munson ‎*with babysitting.
      

      about an hour ago · 
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      Diane Callaghan Husar Diane, I'm with you on this one. Not only was it a midnight showing, but I can't even imagine the noise level. I hate movies now...the sound is so incredibly loud that it makes my insides vibrate. I choose not to attend anymore because it takes away from my enjoyment of the movie. A 4 month old does not belong in a movie theater being subjected to that level of sound.
      

      about an hour ago · 
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      Diane Pagan-Munson We all can agree motherhood is all about sacrifices.
      

      about an hour ago · 
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      Jennifer Ragan I agree about the sound level but the argument was about the time. Yes, maybe they should have tried a different showing but maybe that time worked for each of them or maybe it was a spontaneous decision. I doubt this would be such a big deal if this tragedy had not occurred.
      

      about an hour ago via mobile · 
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      Jennifer Ragan No, parenthood is about sacrificed but when you sacrifice too much of yourself then your kids suffer. You start taking out your frustrations on them or resenting them. Anyone who does not agree has never really had to sacrifice too much.
      

      about an hour ago via mobile · 
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      Diane Pagan-Munson Diane, are you saying a movie theatre is louder than a 2nd grade classroom??? Hahaha
      

      about an hour ago · 
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      Jennifer Ragan http://thestir.cafemom.com/baby/140741/parents_of_baby_shot_at
      

      
      

      Parents of Baby Shot at 'Dark Knight' Massacre Need Compassion Not Judgment

      thestir.cafemom.com
      

      I was horrified to wake up this morning to the news about the Dark Knight shooting in Denver. I grew up in Aurora and used to get my Hello Ki...

      about an hour ago via mobile ·  · 
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      Diane Pagan-Munson 
      

      I read the article. I always question parents who take children to adult movies because of inappropriate language, violence, and nudity. If a parent really needs a movie go to a kids movie. I havent seen a movie for myself (and I don't have...See More

      
      

      59 minutes ago · 
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      Diane Pagan-Munson Jenny,you're right you were commenting onmy initial comment. I guess I am stating my opinion on two different issues . I cannot tell youhow many inappropriate movies my first graders tell me their parents take them to see. The only conclusion I can draw is that those parents put their "wants" before their child. We really must protect what they see and hear because it changes who they are.
      

      45 minutes ago · 
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      Jennifer Ragan Once again... We were commenting on a 4 month old. Maybe they were trying to get out now while they had one last shot (no pun intended). Lol
      

      32 minutes ago via mobile · 
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      Jennifer Ragan 
      

      When you choose to be a parent you choose to give up many things, I understand that. YOU have always had baby-sitters at your disposal. If you chose to stay at home 24/7 with your kids that's great. But you did get out to work... That's ...See More

      
      

      26 minutes ago via mobile · 
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      Nora Iniguez there are other things to do with your 3 month old if you need to get out of the house. Midnight showing of movie is not one of them. theaters now have special times when moms can go to movies with their babies. no excuse. unfortunately you have young girls having babies now and well they want to do teen things still like go to the movies at midnight. just voicing my opinion. Peace & Love.
      

      19 minutes ago · 
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      Jennifer Ragan 
      

      I just pray that nothing horrific happens to any of you guys during a lapse in judgement...whatever it may be. Funny how those who claim to be so religious and always posing scripture are the first ones passing judgement. Like I said, I ...See More

      
      

      2 minutes ago ·