I'm in Trouble...

My baby is a sweetie most of the time, but when she gets mad, watch out!!!

Yesterday, KK got upset with me for putting her in timeout. She screamed at me, "NO, I WILL NOT GO IN TIMEOUT." She then looked at me like this...



She looked down on the floor. She looked back at me and smirked.

She then peed in her pants! ARGH!!!

I have a feeling she will be the cause of many of my gray hairs. If she's like this at 3, what is she going to be like when she's a teenager???

25 Random Things About Me

I was tagged on Facebook for 25 random things about me. Since I spent all that time doing it for FB, I thought I'd share with you.

1. My name is Margaret, and wouldn’t let anyone call me anything but Margaret when I lived in NY. Any time my parents would try to call me Maggie, I’d yell at them. When I moved to VA as a junior in high school I introduced myself to everyone as Maggie. Different state…different persona!!! You can call me either…or Mags, Magnanimous, Magnificent, etc.

2. I am 102 years old. LOL! My kids told me that when you turn 100, you die. So, a few months ago, when they asked me how old I was, I said , “101.” I celebrated my birthday last week. They told EVERYONE I was 102. Better to be 102 than 52 right now, right?!?!?

3. I love my last name, but I always thought I would change it when I got married. That said, I always said I could never marry a Smith or a Jones. In college, I dated a Bob Jones for 9 months. After college, I dated a Tom Smith for almost two years. I ended up marrying a Jones; not Bob, definitely Owen. So far, I’ve kept my last name…but, I am thinking of changing it almost 10 years later.

4. I love the Hokies!!! I haven’t been able to get to any regular season game since having kids, but I’ve been to every ACC championship game Tech’s been in (2 in Jacksonville, one in Tampa). Tech’s record in the championship is 2-1.

5. Even if VT isn’t playing, I love watching college football. I love watching the NY Giants playing. Any other NFL team?...meh! BTW, I cried when the Giants won the Superbowl last year…and I was bummed when they lost in the playoffs this season.

6. I love watching baseball; it doesn’t matter what level of play (Little League, Babe Ruth, minors, Majors, etc. My favorite team is the NY Yankees. When I pitched softball in high school, my teammates called me Goose (Gossage). I remember when Thurmon Munson died in 1979…I was in San Francisco. I like following the Mets too. My favorite all-time Mets player is Tom Seaver. I hope my children become Nationals fans though. They are their local team.

7. I have 3 brothers and 1 sister. They range in age from 25 to 43. The “baby” is a “Southerner”, having been born in VA 3 weeks after our family moved there from the Bronx. At least, he was conceived in NY, right?!?! LOL

8. When I was 10, my parents built a beach home in East Quogue, NY. Since my mom worked in education, we were able to spend the whole Summer at the beach. I’ve visited many beaches all over the country…nothing beats the beaches on Long Island.

9. I love that we have been able to rent a place near my folks’ beach home for a month each July. It’s great catching up with my NY peeps and extended family. It would be cool if we can get a Pelham Bay reunion going in the near future. It’s been great catching up with everyone through FB.

10. My favorite number is 222. It’s based on a drinking game my friends made up in college. The game is based on quarters but everyone drinks. The game was named 222 because that was the hotel room we were in when we came up with the rules.

11. Back in the late 80s, many of us said we should celebrate a holiday reunion on 02.20.02. On that day, though, I was 24 weeks pregnant with my firstborn twins, Ned and Nora. Unfortunately, they were born and died that day. Ned lived 10 hours, and Nora, almost 15.

12. 222 is still my favorite number. When I see 2:22 come up on the clock I think of my sweet babes. Although I couldn’t get it at first, Ned and Nora gave me the gift of hope. I now have 3 earth angels to cherish: Banana & Tank(b. 10.03) and KK(b. 05.05).

13. Since then, I have participated in the March of Dimes March for Babies every year in their honor. This year our March is on Owen’s birthday, April 19th. If you can support me, I’d greatly appreciate it. You can find my personal page at http://www.marchforbabies.org/hokiehi.

14. I love to read; I’m on my fourth book this year. For 2009, I thought I’d give a review of all the books I’ve finished on my blog. I got spooked when I saw that one of my reviews was visited by someone in the same town as the author and where the story takes place. So far, I’ve read The Eight, by Katherine Neville (awesome); The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright (okay); Twilight , by Stephanie Meyers (okay). Now I’m reading Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn. If you like Baldacci, you’ll like Flynn.

15. I just slurped spaghetti sauce all over my shirt. Thank God it’s not white!!!

16. I live less than 30 minutes from Washington, DC. I worked there, I meet friends there, I get my hair done there, but I never sightsee. I want to start taking my kids there once a month or so to take in the sights and visit the museums. There’s no reason for us to not take advantage of all the nation’s capital has to offer.

17. When I was growing up, golf was always on TV at my Nan’s house on Sunday afternoons. I remember being quite bored when we showed up for Sunday dinner. The Lawrence Welk show came on after golf. Double yawn!!! I took up golf when I was in law school. I love watching golf on Sundays now. My kids hate it…Ha!

18. I met Owen at a restaurant named, “That’s Amore.” Enough said!!! We’ve been married for 9 years and together for 14years (is that a double itch?).

19. I can cry at the drop of a hat. Happy tears, sad tears, nervous tears…it happens frequently and it’s embarrassing. I don’t have a pretty cry.

20. I am hearing impaired. Many people are surprised when they find out as I can read lips well.

21. I was on the moot court team in law school. When one of my co-workers told her husband I was going to Colorado for a moot court team meeting, he told her, “She’s not moot (mute); she’s deaf.” LOL

22. My favorite color is purple, also the color of hope.

23. I’m a chocoholic. My favorite candy is the Cadbury mini-eggs that come out at Easter time only. I used to buy enough bags to last me a year. I was thrilled when they came out with the Xmas mini-eggs a few years ago.

24. When Banana & Tank were babies, I drove around with them in a Chevy Trailblazer, a very nice suburban mom’s SUV. Since KK was born, I drive around with them in a Chevy Suburban, a very “Don’t Fuck with Mama” SUV.

25. My family is my life…I want them all to be happy, healthy and safe!!!

Vacations!!!

I love going on vacations getting away with my family. Damn, though, packing is a bitch no matter where we go!!!

We're heading to Disney World for a week on Friday. How do you pack for Orlando in January? Based on the 10-day forecast, we're expecting highs in the mid-60s and lows in the high 30s/low 40s. Only in our last two days are the forecasters predicting weather in the 70s.

Help me out if you can!!! I'm leaning real close to just packing their whole wardrobe...talk about Chaos!!!

Another Book Review...

My next book was a very quick read!!! The Wednesday Letters was written by Jason F. Wright and was a New York Times bestseller. The Wednesday Letters tells the story of a family whose grown children learn more about their parents’ marriage after discovering letters their father wrote to their mother every Wednesday. It’s a good story with morals that I agree with. The story was good, but the writing was mediocre.

With that said, I love the idea of one spouse writing a weekly letter to the other. I would like to do that myself, but know I'd just be setting myself up for disappointment for not following through. My short notes on Mr. O's brown bag napkins will have to do for now.

I'm jumping on the Twilight bandwagon. I'm a couple hundred pages into it, and am enjoying it so far. I'll let you know how I like it.

Book Review

I finished my first book for 2009, and at 598 pages in length, it's no wonder I am a bit behind on folding laundry. If you are looking for a good mystery and loved The DaVinci Code, pick up The Eight by Katherine Neville. It was first published 20 years ago.

Synopsis: The Montglane Service, an ornate, jeweled chess set given to Charlemagne by the Moors, is said to hold a code which when deciphered will bring great power. Nations and individuals have schemed to possess all the pieces. As the set is dispersed during the French Revolution, a young novice risks her life to safeguard it. Alternating with her story are the present-day efforts of a U.S. computer expert and a Russian chess master to assemble the set and solve its mystery. Studying the code involves musical notation, chess strategy, Fibonacci numbers, and mysticism.

I really enjoyed this book, and plan on reading the sequel, The Fire, very soon. The sequel was released just a few months ago. This afternoon I headed to Borders to purchase it, but then saw it will be released in paperback in April. I can wait until then.

My next book is The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright.

Root and Foot Day

Tomorrow is my Root Day. I stole this name from Abnormally Normal and I love her description. My appointment is mid-morning.

Late afternoon, I have an appointment for a pedicure!

Mr. O will never ever interfere with any of those appointments. :)

Maybe, I should shoot for a Root, Back and Foot Day! I might be able to get away with it semi-annually, but not monthly...bummer.

I received my first blog award From Stilettos to Sneakers. She made my day today!!! I started following her blog because she's a fellow twin mom, and seems to have a close and crazy family like mine. I also like following her sister's blog, Life in a Hampton Zoo, because she lives in one of my favorite places. My family vacations in East Quogue and Hampton Bays every Summer, and she doesn't live too far from there.

There were no rules to follow with this award, and I'm happy to pass it on to a few more beautiful bloggers:

Mom Times Two, because she has a great blog and she's my favorite sister!

I Need a Martini Mom, because she cracks me up all the time!

the hyper homemaker, because she's coaching me to make my organized chaos less chaotic!

Boo and Hooties Mom, because I love the way she showcases her children's projects.

One Fabulous Mom, because she's just fabulous!!!

Thanks, Stilettos, for this nice award.

Countdown

10 days and counting until we leave for a week's stay at Disney World!!!

Of course, the kids are all excited, but I think I'm more excited than the lot of them. I've never been there myself, although I've made many trips to Disney Land. I think the World is going to be like Disney Land on cack!!!

I just have to get through the next 10 days....

We brought our truck into the dealer for a service checkup. I wanted to make sure all was square before making the drive from the DC area to Orlando. It turns out we need a new transmission. Great!!! Thank goodness the truck is still under warranty, so we're not out of any big bucks that can be spent at Disney.

I have to go through storage to find the kids' Summer clothes this week. Mr. O and I did not do any planning on this trip. We discussed it and made up our minds within 20 minutes. Unfortunately, I packed up our Summer wardrobe the week before. Mr. O will be working in the Midwest next week and comes home late the eve of our departure. Good planning, Mr. O for any (nada) help getting packed.

Oh, and Aunt Flo better arrive soon!!! I'll be ticked if she arrives in Orlando.

2009

I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009!!!

Mr. O and I hosted our annual New Year's Day Open House yesterday. Every year as we are preparing for the party, I am stressed because I have no idea how many people are coming. I always worry if there is going to be enough food, drinks, etc. Actually, I don't have to stress about the drinks...there's always plenty!

The party was a success, as always! Because I was so busy socializing and having fun, I didn't take any pictures. Fortunately, we had a surprise guest from Germany; she took many pictures and promised to email them to me when she gets the chance.

And, thankfully, we had enough food. We served chili, chicken stew (Thanks, Mo!), beef tenderloin, and a penne salad with mozzarella & grape tomatoes. My mom also made her delicious potato salad and cole slaw; both of those dishes went quick. Thanks, Mom!

I love hosting this party every year. It's great having most of my family and many of our old and 'new' friends together. I hate the idea of making this informal get-together formal, but I think it will make the party-planning process much easier if we start sending out invites. The only problem I have is that we're always inviting people up to the day of the party. After all, it is an Open House. Do you think it will be okay to continue doing this?

Facebook

How did I not get this???

I'm frigging addicted now...it's just what I need, another time-suck!!!

Upstate NY after Christmas

We traveled from VA to up-state NY the day after Christmas to visit the outlaws (that requires another post). The kids reveled in the snow...

Tres amigos!!!




I love these action photos...











Let's gang up on Daddy!

Christmas Eve

The stockings are hung, and most of the gifts have been wrapped. All we need is for Santa to arrive!!! As I am writing this post, Santa is in Fuji, Japan. We've been tracking Santa since we woke up this morning. We've seen footage of him in New Zealand, Australia and Japan.

Oh, the excitement is in the air in the Jones' house this morning!!! The kids have been playing in the living room all morning. They are constantly resorting everyone's presents. Tank reminds me of my older brother when he was a kid. He's bouncing off the walls.

We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas...May visions of sugar plums dance in your heads!

Santa is in Tokyo now!!!

Brother T

My brother T's birthday was yesterday, and he's my Irish twin!

Do you know what Irish Twins are?

They are two siblings born within a year of each other. My brother T and I are true Irish twins. We were born within a year IN THE SAME YEAR. I was born in January...he was born in December. In fact, his birthday was yesterday. He also died from a tragic accident when he was 2.5yo. Tank's middle name is his.

We were born in 1967.

Happy 41st!!!

I WISH I grew up with him.

I also believe all of my grandparents are taking care of him, and he's taking care of my Ned & Nora until I can meet up with him again.

God Bless You, Terence!

She's only 3...How can this be???

Yesterday we went to our annual Christmas Brunch at Evergreen. We were joined by Mim and Pop, CoCo, Uncle Todd, Master B and Baby Lulu. The club puts out an awesome feast, and afterward Santa comes riding up in his golf cart.

Tank and Banana joyfully sat on Santa's lap when he called out for them to give them their presents. KK wanted no part of that. She stayed attached to her Mama's lap, so Santa came to her to help her open her present. As long as she was touching Mama, she was OK with that.

As I was getting her dressed for bed last night, I asked her how she liked Santa.

KK: I don't want to sit on his lap.

Me: That's OK, sweetheart...You don't have to.

KK: What's his name?

Me: His name is Santa Clause.

KK: But, what's his name?

Me: Santa Claus.

KK: But, what's his name when he takes his costume off?

Me (freaking out): Oh, honey! His name is Santa Claus. When he takes his suit off, he puts on his red pajamas and goes to sleep. He needs his rest if he's going to visit all the good girls and boys at Christmas.

KK: Oh!!!

I'm telling you, this girl has been here before.

My next conversation was with Tank (5yo).

Me: What did Santa say to you when you sat on his lap?

Tank: He asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I told him Nerf. [He received a Nerf Ballblaster.]

Me: Did you tell him where you live? Did you give him your address so he can find you on Christmas Eve/night?

Tank: Oh, Ma...Santa knows where ALL the kids live.

I'm so enjoying watching the magic of Christmas in the kids' eyes this holiday season.

Panic Attack

I messed up royally when I ordered our Christmas cards this year. I chose the Santa Penguins card from Exposures Online. I knew that the picture had to placed horizontally only for this card. I forgot that the picture I had was vertical, with no way to crop to make horizontal. We rarely have a picture with the 5 of us together. Here's the picture I wanted to send to our family and friends. This was taking at big bro's wedding in Charlotte back in June.



I went into panic mode...what was I to do??? I wasted a morning driving around to stationery shops to find an alternative card...I wasted another few hours checking sites online. My sister brought me back to earth when she suggested I use one of her favorite pictures of my kids on the front of the card and then insert the family picture inside the card. Duh...why didn't I think of that?!?!?!

So, this is the picture I am going to use on the card....



And...everyone will get the bonus family photo inside the card! What do you think?

Oh...Do you want to know the funny thing about these cards I ordered from Exposures??? I ordered the same card last year. LOL...I must've really liked them. Do you think anyone will remember?

Missing you...

12 Teams, 2 Divisions, One Champion

We ARE VA Tech!!!



Mr. O gave me my Christmas present early this year. While he and the kids are braving the cold up in Northern VA, I am enjoying the mild weather in Tampa this weekend. I went to the game today and partied it up with many Hokies, young and old.

I don't fly out until tomorrow evening. I was planning on going to Busch Gardens since I love roller coasters. Unfortunately, a cold front is coming through with expected highs in the mid-60s. That's too cold for me to go on the wet coasters. I think I might go explore St. Petersburg instead.

Wigged Out!!!

What Christmas Movie are You?

I got this from Pink in a Sea of Blue. You should check it out.

As chaotic as my family life may be, seem, etc., this is fitting...

Your Christmas is Most Like: A Christmas Story

Loving, fun, and totally crazy. Don't shoot your eye out!

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving morning while we were enjoying the Macy's parade, we cooked a turkey to bring to Mim & Pop's house and decorated our Christmas tree. Did I say we put up our tree??? Mr. O had to work on Friday, so I thought it would be fun for the kids to decorate the tree then. There was no way I could carry and assemble the tree by myself so Mr. O and I put it up on Thursday. Once the tree was up, the kids were too giddy with wanting to decorate...so decorate, we did!!!



We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving Feast at my parents' house. It's not that often when all of my siblings (5 of us) are together for a holiday dinner. We had a feast for 15 adults and 7 children. All the adults and the 2 youngest babes sat in dining room, while the 5 older cousins sat in the foyer.

As a child growing up in New York City, I remember many holiday dinners sitting at the kids' table in my Nanny's apartment. I also remember wanting to sit with the big people. I don't think any of these children had any desire to join us though.



Do you notice the 2 dogs in the picture? They are not dumb...they know they are going to score some food.

On Friday, we went to the holiday parade at Reston Town Center. This is our third year in a row at this parade. The last 2 years were FREEZING. I think we even left early last year. This year the forecast was partly Sunny and 52 degrees. Let me tell you...it was the coldest 52 degrees I've ever felt. My feet were still cold 5 hours after we left. That said, it was great fun!!!

Here are the kids before the parade started. I love KK's expression. She's NOT happy that Tank is trying to hold her hand.



We were joined by CoCo, Toad, Master B and Baby L. Here's Master B and Baby L.


The highlights of the parade were:

Thomas...



Mr. Potato Head...



Mickey Mouse... [We're going to visit him next month at his house.]



and, finally, Santa & Mrs. Claus! Who needs the Macy's parade when you can have this??? LOL