Not too long I ago, I told you all I was a finalist in a money saving tip contest for Wal-Mart.  I had asked my readers to find my video on You Tube and vote for me.  Well, let me just thank all of you who went and voted because I just found out that I am one of the WINNERS!  I was one of the top ten videos and as a result we won a year’s supply of groceries from Wal-Mart!!

I am so excited! Thank you all so very much!

It’s looking like I should probably post something.  With all the hub-bub of the holiday season, something needed to give.  Unfortunately, it ended up being my blog posts.  Things have died down around here, so I found myself with some time this morning to share with you one of my favorite memories from this Christmas.

On Christmas morning, the kids woke us up a little after 7.  I am impressed with that time because I can remember being a kid and sneaking downstairs at 4am to see if Santa had visited yet.  We all head downstairs where the typical morning chaos ensues.  It was a whirlwind of paper flying, squeals of delight, and demands to open these new gifts.  It was everything a Christmas morning should be!

Once the commotion was over, I went around with a trash bag to pick up the discarded gift wrap.  Underneath the tree, nestled in the tree skirt, was a small box.  “What is this?” I asked.  I knew of every gift that was placed under the tree and I didn’t recall seeing that one before.  Just some FYI, my husband and I had agreed not to buy gifts for one another.  And I stuck to that, literally.  There was not one gift for him under that tree.  (Relax, he got plenty between his family and mine!)

The little box had a tag on it that read “To: Shannon From: Santa.”  While I opened the box, I gave my husband the classic WTF face.  Poor Kiki is bewildered.  “Mommy, what did Santa leave you? Why didn’t he leave Daddy anything?”

I open the box only to be blinded by this little beauty:

Pink sapphires with diamonds on the side!  Isn’t it gorgeous!

As I sat there dumbfounded and feeling guilty for really sticking to the “not exchanging” rule, Kiki says, “Mom, I think Santa wants to marry you!” Can you just imagine what her little 7 year old brain must have been thinking?  Santa is leaving something like that under the tree for Mom with Daddy right here?!  My husband did pull her aside a little later to inform her that the ring was really from him but he wrote Santa on it so I wouldn’t be mad at him for buying me a gift.

I love my ring, but I still feel extremely guilty for not buying him something in return.  So please, when the next Christmas rolls around, would someone remind me that the “no exchanging” rule is a big fat lie and that I do really need to go out and get him something!

From our family to yours… Merry Christmas!

When I left off yesterday we were strolling down memory lane back to December 16th 2005.  I was settling down on the couch to wait out my contractions.  Join me now in the wee hours of December 17th, 2005.

My contractions started off at 10 minutes apart and continue in this fashion.  Every 10 minutes, I sit up nice and straight on the couch, trying to remember to breathe.  When they subside, I relax until the next round comes.  I notice that my dog Lexi sits up with me every time I have a contraction.  When I relax, she does the same.  I go into the bathroom, she follows me.  Nausea overcomes me and I keep my face over the toilet, she pushes my head out of the way to see what I’m doing.  I am just amazed at how in tune she is to the fact that I’m going through something.

Apparently, they replay Oprah at 4:00 in the morning.  I watch as she interviews Reese Witherspoon and Jouquin Phoenix about their new movie “Walk The Line.”  I make a mental note that I want to see that when I’m done birthing a child.

Sunlight breaks and I decide to wake up my husband and fill him in on my night.  I shower and call the doctor on call to tell him my situation.  Unfortunately, my regular doctor is out on a medical leave to have some sort of surgery.  The doctor on call says he doesn’t recommend I come in yet because he doesn’t think I’m far enough along.  I tell him that I live an hour away and I’m coming in.  He tells me that if I get there and I’m not far enough along he is sending me home.

We then call my neighbor and ask her if we can dump Kiki on her because this is it!  Once we get Kiki across the street, we are on our way.  My sweetheart of a husband turns the seat warmer on for me.  Such a nice gesture, although it didn’t really help with the contractions.  But at least if AJ was born in the car he would come out head first into a warm seat!

We arrive at the hospital at 11:00am.  They take me up to labor and delivery, a nurse gets me in a gown, and straps me up to the monitors.  She leaves without so much as asking me any questions.  The only thing she tells us is that the doctor isn’t in yet.  Once he gets in they will check me out and we will go from there.

Left by ourselves, my contractions keep getting worse.  I remember asking my husband which one of us thought that having another kid was a good idea.  I have another pretty strong contraction and I swear I feel my pelvis just open up.  Another contraction and now there is something coming between my legs.  I’m pounding on the nurses button telling my husband to get someone quick!  She comes in and I tell her that there is something between my legs.  She tells me I probably pooped!  But she is kind enough to check anyway!  “It’s the head!” she says.  “It’s the head!”

She grabs random people out in the hallway.  It’s a whirlwind!  I’m screaming, people are flying around the room, some doctor is yelling at the nurse asking her why I don’t even have an IV in yet, my poor husband is pushed up against the wall, I’m still screaming, and POOF, AJ is out!

We got to the hospital at 11:00am.  AJ is born at 12:07pm.  Thank goodness I listened to my instincts and not the doctor who told me to wait it out at home some more.  By the way, he came in as AJ was being cleaned up and said, “I guess it’s a good thing you came in.”  The nurse felt so bad about pretty much ignoring me that she made arrangements for me to get the room at the end of the hall which was supposedly the biggest.  It was pretty big with windows all around.

In the end it all worked out.  Today, December 17th 2008 at 12:07 pm AJ will officially be 3!  Happy birthday, little man!  We love you!

Allow me to steal a line from Sofia on The Golden Girls:

Picture it: Spring City, Pennsylvania, December 16th, 2005.

I’m nearing my December 24th due date with AJ.  Kiki, age 4, and I are in Kohls finishing up some last minute Christmas shopping.  There is nothing quite like being 9 months pregnant and fighting the Christmas crowd in a department store while trying to keep on eye on your 4 year old.

We are among the sea of clothing racks and I turn to tell Kiki that we need to move on.  Only there in no Kiki.  I call her name over and over.  Nothing.  I start frantically searching through the clothing racks, moving awkwardly among them with my ginormous belly, searching the crowds for her.  Nothing!  Panic is in full swing!

All of a sudden, I hear over the loud speaker, “Shannon to Customer Service.”  Okay, they could mean me, right?  They didn’t say a last name but they could totally mean me.  The loud speaker roars overhead again.  “Shannon K to Customer Service.”  That is me!  They must have my little girl!  Where the heck is Customer Service!?  I run in a full sprint to the front of the store where the registers are located.  “Where is Customer Service?” I yell at a poor cashier just trying to get through her shift.  “In the back of the store,” she replies with just a hint of attitude.

My big belly and I sprint to the back of the store.  There, standing with a Kohls’ employee, is my Kiki!  I run over to her and give her a huge hug.  I start crying.  The Kohls’ employee tells me how impressed she is with Kiki for not only knowing her own full name, but my full name as well.   I am just a mix of emotions…relief, happiness, a sense of pride that my little girl knew the correct information to give in that scary situation, anger, anxiety, you name the emotion and I am feeling it!  I thanked the employee for her help and with a death grip on Kiki, we left the store.

We met up with my husband at McDonald’s, where I told him the whole story while stuffing my face with a Big Mac.  Remember, I’m 9 months pregnant here and just had the scare of my life!  You better believe I’m eating!!

Once we get home, I give Kiki a million kisses and tuck her safely in her bed.  I am exhausted!  I change into my pjs and climb into my welcoming bed.  I close my eyes, ready to embrace sleep, when a pain inches across my belly.  It catches my attention for a minute but it quickly subsides and I am off to dreamland once again.  Except 10 minutes later, that same pain comes again.  And 10 minutes after that, and 10 minutes after that.  Are we seeing a pattern here??

I look over at my husband who is fast asleep.  I decide since we could possibly be in for a long night, I’m going to set up camp downstairs on the couch and let him sleep while I assess the situation.  One of us should get some rest and it wasn’t going to be me.  So with that, I head downstairs to wait out the night.

Stop by tomorrow for the rest of the story!

A huge part of Christmas for us is the family traditions.  We have traditions that we do with my family such as opening presents at my parents’ house on Christmas Eve.  We have our own traditions blossoming within our little family like ordering pizza when we decorate the tree.  And with my husband’s family we meet at a local tree farm, usually the first or second weekend in December,  to find the perfect tree.

This past Saturday we met up with my husband’s parents, his brother, and one of our two nieces.  My SIL and our other niece were off to NYC to enjoy some mother/daughter time at The American Girl store.  We arrived at the tree farm around 10 in the morning with temperatures in the 20’s.  I’m not gonna lie, those temps are too cold for me!

When we arrived, the rest of the family was already out in search of their trees.  We grabbed our saw and hopped onto the tractor for a ride out into the fields.  We were the first ones on the tractor and as a result had to wait awhile for it to fill up.  It probably would have been faster for us to just walk out.  But it gave me the opportunity for some pictures.

Once we found the rest of our group, the hunt began.  Most years find us walking and perusing many trees until we find the perfect one.  This year the temperatures played a part in our decision making process.  Especially since AJ and my niece decided to be renegades and take off their hats and gloves. (Monkey see, Monkey do)!  I shiver now just thinking of that!

In the end, we picked a tree that has some scoliosis going on with its trunk and it’s shorter then we would normally get.  Personally, I think there were some nicer ones picked out but my husband insisted on the one we got.  He kept saying that if you looked at it from a certain angle it looked great.  My point was that if there is only one angle that it looks nice it is probably not worth cutting down.  Needless to say, that is the one we cut down and brought home!  I think our search was over in 20 minutes tops!

Back to the main entrance of the farm we went.  This is my favorite part because there is a little barn with hot chocolate, cookies, and of course, Santa!!  Kiki and my niece sat on his lap.  AJ wanted no parts of it.  But he enjoyed the cookies (many cookies actually!)

After we warmed our bodies with hot chocolate, we went into the next barn where my in-laws bought the kids each an ornament for the tree.  We bought some ourselves figuring this tree could use all the help it can get!!

By the end of the night our tree was decorated.  For all my doubts about it, it actually is a beautiful tree.

One of my all time favorite pastimes is “people watching.”  I should become a private investigator and get paid for this hobby that I love so much.  Maybe I could follow people on that Cheaters show.  When/if I retire, I will be most content spending my days with my saggy, elderly rearend planted on a bench at the mall, watching all the people go by.  Oh, I dream big.  No doubt about it!

What better place to people watch then at Chuck E. Cheese, where we spent this past weekend for AJ’s birthday party.  This is the best kind of people watching because you get to witness how other people parent.  Boy did we hit the jackpot!  As we stood waiting for someone to come and direct us towards the party table, I watched as a family rolled up in their Cadillac Escalade.  And not just any Cadillac Escalade, one with all the bells and whistles.  You know… the tinted windows, the shiny rims, the upgraded chrome package.

This family of 2 parents and 3 boys strolled on in like they owned the place.  For all I know, maybe they did!  All of a sudden, I hear her oldest son who was probably about 9 or 10, yell “NOT LIKE THAT, YOU IDIOT!”  Oh siblings, I thought to myself.  But as I turn to assess the situation using my wicked PI skills, I realize that he is not speaking to his brothers, he is speaking to his MOTHER!

I stared just waiting for him to get reprimanded.  Guess what?  I’m still waiting.  Do you know that that mother never even batted an eye at her son calling her an idiot??  She continued on with the conversation as if nothing completely horrible just came out of his mouth.

I will admit, I let my kids get away with inappropriate behavior from time to time.  I will also admit that I am a softie of a parent.  But I can guarantee you that if either of my kids ever called me an idiot, they would be wishing that it never made it up past their lips!

I was so caught up in this drama, I forgot that Kiki was watching it with me.  All of a sudden she turned toward me all wide eyed and said, “Mom, why did that boy just call his mom an idiot?”  I said, “I’m not sure, hon.  But that was horrible for him to say and I can’t believe she lets him talk to her that way.”  Kiki replied, “I would never call you an idiot, Mom!”  She is a smart little girl!!

In my humble opinion, that should have been the end of the Chuck E. Cheese trip for her family.  She should have marched them all right out the door, back to their Cadillac Escalade with all the bling, and drove them home.  Her oldest old son should have spent the rest of the day scrubbing the rims on the Caddy with a toothbrush or some such chore.

But that is just me.  I’m sure he still learned the same lesson by spending the afternoon frolicking about, stuffing his face with pizza instead of soap.  Yes, I’m positive that he has now learned how to properly treat his mother with respect.

Now if only we knew where they lived.  By now all three of her boys have probably turned on her and shoved her in a closet somewhere while her husband stares at his reflection in the Bling-mobile!

AJ turns 3 on December 17th.  Being that the date is so close to Christmas, we held his party today at Chuck E. Cheese.  For months, all we have heard from AJ is, “My birthday at Chuck E. Cheese” or “I go to Chuck E. Cheese in five minutes.”  Since he lives, eats, and breathes this mecca of childhood delight, we couldn’t deny him his party there.

Here is video of the little man as we pull into Chuck E. Cheese.

18 of his friends met us there to celebrate the big 3.

AJ and his cousin were getting their groove on in front of the camera.

It turns out that as much as AJ loves the place, he is pretty darn scared of Chuck E. Cheese in human form.  As we sang “Happy Birthday” to him he faced away from the table so that he could keep on eye on the big mouse’s whereabouts.

We were able to coax him into turning around to blow out the candles before the place burnt down.

As we peacefully ate the cake, Chuck E. Cheese made his way over to our table to say hello to the birthday boy.  I held my breath as AJ stared at him for what felt like an eternity before he finally gave him a high five!

I’m not sure how much of the cake actually made it into his mouth, but I think he liked it.

Here is the classic sign of a good party…

One party down.  Next weekend we have his family party which is combined with his cousin’s birthday.  Then it’s my birthday and then finally Christmas.

Wake me up when December ends!!

A while back I posted a vlog with a money saving tip about drinking water from reusable bottles versus buying plastic bottles.  We entered my vlog into a contest sponsered by Wal-Mart and I actually have made it into the final 20!  YEA!!!

Now here comes the part where I ask for your help.  Out of the remaining 20, the 10 videos with the most votes by December 16th receive a gift card to Wal-mart.  I am asking all of you to please go to www.youtube.com/walmart.  Once you are there, scroll through the videos until you see Muzbee Crazy.  Once my video appears, hit the thumbs up icon to cast your vote.  Technically, you could hit the thumbs down icon but that wouldn’t really help me.  If you have a You Tube account, sign in before voting.  If not, vote anyway.  We are uncertain if you need to be signed in when voting, so it certainly can’t hurt to sign into your account if you have one.

I’ll let you know after the 16th how it all ended.  I really appreciate your help.  Thank you my lovely readers!!

Well, I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later.  Everything must come to an end.  Yesterday, my perfect driving record was tainted.  Yes, my friends, I was pulled over…for speeding.  He was waiting on a side street at the top of a hill and he got me doing 36mph in a 25mph zone.  Umm…HEL-LO, I need speed to get up the hill!  GOSH!!

I was actually calm.  I didn’t cry or get all shaky.  He came up to the window and I had all my info ready to give him.  Right off the bat he told me that everything was being video and audio recorded.  For a moment I thought I was on COPS!  But no, it wasn’t time for my 15 minutes of fame! He took my stuff back to his car to do whatever they do back there.  I used that time to call my work and tell them I would be a little late coming in as I was detained on the side of the road.  They laughed.

Mr. Police Officer came back with citation in hand.  He asked me if I had any prior citations and I told him this was my first.  He explained to me how to fill out the bottom portion and send it back.   He recommended I plead “not guilty”.  He would meet with me before the hearing and reduce the fine and take away the points if my driving record is indeed clean.  I was stuck back on the word hearing so the kind man repeated the explanation again for me.

When it was all said and done, I was 15 minutes late for work.  That pretty much defeated the purpose of my speeding!  Not to mention all the heckling I had to take once I walked into the office!

So I guess I’ll have a court date in my near future.  How exciting!!  Maybe I’ll ask the officer if he will pose for a pic with me so I can post it on my blog!  I may not have been on COPS, but I could give him his 15 minutes of fame by putting him here on Muzbee Crazy.  It’s pretty much the same thing!