IDOL Reverse Power Rankings 3.31.09

9- Megan
8- Anoop
7- Lil Rounds
6-Scott
5- Matt
4- Alison
3- Danny*
2- Adam**
1- Kris**

**I'm not officially tracking it, but thought our readers deserve to know that these performers also rank high on my Goose Bump Scale!**

Let's Try Again

I am submitting another photo of Edwin for another cutest baby contest...hopefully will get a cute one this afternoon and will post an update with the photo.

Week In Review

What a long week it has been. My day at work yesterday ended with 2 very unique, strange (non-dental) scenarios that sucked the life out of me. Man! I am glad I finally have my weekends back. And once again, may I reiterate? It is NOT a good idea to say, "I HATE THE DENTIST", as the FIRST words out of your mouth before I even sit down. Hmm.... apparently this doesn't make a patient worry that I might give them a reason to hate the dentist. hahahahahaha.

Oh and while we are on the topic, I got called Ma'am 3 times yesterday by old men. Who came up with the rule that ma'am is the polite thing to say to a female of any age over 20? A man did obviously. :) I want to be called "Miss" as long as possible. I don't know if that is just me, but ma'am makes me sound oooolllldddd.

Today was swim lessons and the instructor commented on how well Madeline is doing. She started swimming fully outstretched (unlike the fetal position she was demonstrating for weeks). Madeline even jumped off the side with no swimmies on where it was quite deep. She swam her way to the surface. Success!

Matt has commented several times on the subject of drink carriers, so I think I should share this with everyone. He feels that the fast food places should no longer ask or offer to provide drink carriers ... period! The reasoning is based on the numerous cup holders that vehicles these days have. Our van has 6 in the front alone. My position? I hate those things. Who really thinks that those shallow holes are going to hold upright my biggie sized drinks?!? Not me.

As far as American Idol is concerned, it is still one of my favorite shows. I hope it never ends. I loved seeing Ruben last night, but definitely didn't miss the sweat fest. Yuck! I guess I am going to have to be calling in for Matt G . a lot more. America got that way wrong! Megan should have been booted (or Scott). Adam freaked me out without the makeup and hair. I don't like his singing much ,but I enjoyed the "pretty" boy look way better than the young Elvis look.

I don't know if I have ever mentioned it, but Madeline's preschool experience has been awesome. She has a significant creative art portion to her daily classes. I thought I would provide some pictures of the artwork she did to celebrate Easter. I am sure there is more to come as well.

Inspiration

Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being.Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light.

-Albert Schweitzer

I received this quote today from The Ripples Facebook Splash...I thought it was worth sharing. Who helps keep your flame burning?

Digital TV Conversion

Just wanted to thank the President (or whoever makes these decisions) in advance for switching the conversion date to Edwin's Birthday - June 12, 2009. I was already starting to get stressed out about not seeing the 10-dozen commercials about the switch each day...and to think I don't even have the tv on very much during the day...

Anyways, THANK YOU in advance...

IDOL Reverse Power Rankings 3.25.09

10- Michael
9- Megan
8- Scott
7- Anoop
6-Lil Rounds
5- Kris*
4- Danny*
3- Matt*
2- Alison**
1- Adam**

**I'm not officially tracking it, but thought our readers deserve to know that these performers also rank high on my Goose Bump Scale!**

Watching for Daddy!

Edwin learns to live without cable

Let me see that remote...

How do I get to ESPN on this thing?

WHAT!?!

Applying Broken Windows Theory to Home Organization

Spent most of the day Saturday with Mindy organizing the basement. How do we let it slip into such such disarray?

Actually, I do know how.

I had the epiphany on Saturday night as Mindy and I were relaxing from all our hard work by enjoying a $1 DVD rental.  We watched The Whackness a movie set in NYC in the summer of 1994 (warning: do not mistake my reference to movie as a recommendation...it ain't for everyone).

The characters in the movie make several under-their-breath utterances of "Giuliani", signifying their disapproval of the new mayor's crackdown on minor crimes in the city.  Of course, this is in reference to Rudy Giuliani's application of the "Broken Windows" theory of policing, where cracking down on all crimes--no matter how small--leads to a reduction in more serious crime.

There have been plenty of changes in our daily lives since Edwin has graced us with his presence, especially in terms of home organization. 2 major changes in this area: 1) increased laundry & 2) constant furniture rearranging.

Since Edwin's always spitting up on someone's article of clothing, we've developed the habit of just opening the basement door and tossing down the soiled garment to deal with later.  And due to the non-stop furniture rearranging, the basement has become the overflow zone, where we just stick random objects until we can figure out what to do with them.

Well, these things scattered all over the basement become just like the broken windows in NYC. First, there's a pile of dirty bibs at the bottom of the stairs, next there's a random end table in the middle of the room, pretty soon kids are dealing weed behind the furnace (you get the idea).

So we're now inspired to keep the broken windows in the basement to a minimum. Sure, we still toss squash-stained onesies down the basement stairs, but next time one of us goes down there, we move it to the designated dirty laundry area.

Jury's still out on trying to keep the basement from being the furniture overflow zone, but that's where I hope establishing a "nothing new is brought into the house until something old is removed from the house" rule, and that's a post (and a compromise with Mindy) for another day.

Edwin & I Walking in the March For Babies 6mile Walk on 4/26!

New Car Seat

So, since Edwin has finally surpassed the 20 lb mark, we decided it was time to start using his new car seat. It still has to be rear facing until he turns one, but I thought it might be a little more comfortable for him. Plus, I stopped carrying his pumpkin seat in and out...so I thought it was time to use the official stationary carseat...well...I HATE IT! Now, I can't see him when I'm in the passenger seat and I can't reach him from either seat...I think we're going to have to switch back until he's ready to go front facing...what was I thinking...and sorry Dave - you were right!

Anyways, here is a cute picture of Edwin trying out his new seat in the house...

WEEK IN REVIEW--Late

Do you know how tiring it is to work 6 days in a job that is overflowing with stress? By stress I mean physical strain on my neck and back...and depending on the number of extractions , my hands. And of course the obvious stress that the patient puts on you because the "dentist isn't my favorite place to be". Blah blah blah. Stop talking, open up, and let me finish helping you ... begrudgingly. HA!!

Now that that is off my chest, :), I had to cover the past week and 2 weekends for the boss ... so the blog got postponed until Saturday.

We didn't get to do a whole lot this week, because I became a complete energy wasteland each night at 8 pm when the girls went to bed.

Madeline was once again leader for her preschool class . The day was St. Patrick's Day. She was requested to bring in vanilla ice cream so that the class could make Shamrock Shakes. (sidenote: I didn't get my yearly Shamrock Shake from McDonald's this year, and this is very upsetting) I thought that it would also be appropriate to whip up some shamrock shaped sugar cookies and send them along as well. Madeline helped me from start to finish. However, she constantly was asking to sample the ingredients, dough, icing, and sugar sprinkles. I caught her once tasting the flour which is so nasty! I held her back from tasting the dough with raw eggs in it (didn't help that Matt was asking to eat the dough as well). The best part was when we were sitting at the table decorating the cookies. I did the icing, Madeline did the sprinkles. I was concentrating on my cookie and saw in my peripheral vision that Madeline was scarfing down the sugar sprinkles. Without looking up I yelled, "hey quit eating that, those are for the cookies!". Madeline said, " You can't see me eating this, you are looking at your cookie." I said, "Oh yes I can. I can see 2 things at the same time." Madeline responded, "can Daddy do that too?". What a stinker!! Proof that she tries to get away with things when she thinks we are not looking!

I made my first traditional St. Patty's Day corned beef and cabbage meal. I must admit it was quite tasty. We did it in the crockpot and it was so easy. Matt wasn't thrilled about the smell of the house however. He dealt with it. The girls and I enjoyed the meal. Matt ate kielbasa instead. HA!

Where is Melinda?

I miss Melinda...where is her Friday post???

Escalators

OK, an escalator already provides a quicker method for climbing a flight of stairs due the fact it moves the stairs upward for you. Why must people take double advantage by refusing to move entirely upon getting on one?

Acceptable excuses for standing still on an escalator, you're...

1. handicapped/disabled

2. elderly

3. injured

4. carrying something heavy

Otherwise, keep moving. I've got somewhere to be.

adventures with edwin

Edwin and I met Dave downtown for St. Patrick's Day lunch. We went to a deli and ate at the park across the street from the church we were married in...it was a beautiful afternoon...so much fun to see Dave in the middle of the day!!! I have a feeling as the weather gets nicer, this will be a weekly occurrence!!!

Also, everyone has been asking if Edwin is crawling yet...the answer - no...however, he has learned to push himself backwards so I think crawling correctly is just around the corner. Yesterday, I went into the kitchen to get a bottle of water and when I came back into the living room...I found Edwin under the couch...too cute!!!

IDOL Reverse Power Rankings 3.17.09

11- Michael
10- Scott
9- Lil Rounds
8- Alexis
7- Alison
6- Megan
5- Kris
4- Adam*
3- Anoop*
2- Danny*
1- Matt*

**I'm not officially tracking it, but thought our readers deserve to know that these performers also rank high on my Goose Bump Scale!**

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This picture is actually from several months ago...but I couldn't resist posting it for today. Here is one from this morning.


TEETH COUNTER UPDATE: Edwin's 3rd tooth popped through on Saturday morning! Now he has 2 on the bottom and a point on the top!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The Advantages of Being 30

OK, I've been 30 for the better part of 4 days now, so that more than qualifies me to opine on the subject of the advantages of being 30, no?  Here's my by no means unabridged list in no particular order:

1. Professional respect - Remember when you were in high school or college working on a group project, and you struggled to get all your immature team members to focus and get their C-/D+ efforts to you at least 4 hours before the deadline so you'd have time revise into an A-/B+ finished product? Well, now it's even worse because those people are all 10 years older and make way more money than you. Hopefully, maybe they'll focus for at least 5 extra minutes between fart jokes now that the person trying to keep the project on track isn't some snot-nosed twentysomething.

2. Getting carded is fun - Seriously, it doesn't even occur to me to reach for my ID anymore. And I'm not just talking about One Stop, where they know me.  I'm talking about some 18-year old kid who's never seen me before, but somehow takes for granted that I'm so far above 21 that carding me would be no use.  Last night I ordered a beer at dinner with Mindy, and our server (probably born during the 1st Bush presidency) carded me out of left field.  It was awesome.

3. Being married is normal - I know people are getting married later in life these days, but geez, I was made to feel life a walking episode of Engaged & Underage when I introduced myself as a married 28-year old.  And that's in Ohio and Kentucky.  Imagine how people on the coasts acted. Thankfully, those days are over.

4. Staying in's the new going out - A few year back, you'd have to deflect and make excuses to your friends as why you were passing on happy hour on Friday.  Now your friends are just as tired, cheap, and intolerant of crowds as you that dinner at someone's house (including kids), then home by 9:30 p.m. is a perfectly reasonable Friday night option.

Week in Review

Saturday we made the trip to Pittsburgh to visit Papa and Deb. My neighbor had informed us that Disney on Ice was at the Mellon Arena, so I looked into getting tickets at the last minute. It turned out to be an enjoyable afternoon. Meredith enjoyed it the most I believe. She was dancing to the music the whole time while sitting on my lap. (which means I was dodging head butts into my mouth). Papa came with us and surprised them with Mickey and Minnie Mouse dolls. The theme was based on the Incredibles which we own, but the girls hadn't seen yet. Luckily, they included many traditional Disney characters. Mickey and Minnie got kidnapped which really upset Meredith. "where minnie? where mickey?" All ended well so the girls were thrilled! We went back to Papa's house for dinner with Deb (who missed out on the event due to a cold). They had bought a new table for the girls that you can write on and erase.

At school this week Madeline learned a couple new songs and the Pledge of Allegiance. I have included that video below! Instead of "United" States , it sounds like she is saying "unid" States . HA! Oh and we got 2 fundraisers sent home...oh my. I guess it was only a matter of time before we sold Easter candy.

Today we went shopping at Burlington Coat Factory to purchase the girls' Easter dresses. They are so cute and again they have matching baby doll dresses! Anyways, while looking for shoes, I found Madeline holding and SNIFFING a boot off the floor . Oh and seconds later, the OWNER of the boot came to get it. She was in another aisle trying something else on. GROSS!!! How embarrassing.

And finally, we have received our Girl Scout cookies from Sarah today. We were startled to hear a knock on our door this afternoon. It was Uncle Conrad bearing the cookies! So nice to have such service! We bought the two best kinds Thin Mints and Samoas. Yum Yum Yum. ALthough I am mad that the price goes up and the amount is downsized. Don't think that everyone didn't catch that at all!

Edwin 9 Month Update

NO SHOTS TODAY!!!!

YAY!!!

9-Month Stats:

Height: 27" (20th percentile)

Weight: 20 lbs 13 ozs (50th percentile)

Head Circumference: 18" (50th percentile)

Edwin 9 Months Old

Tomorrow is Edwin's 9-Month Healthy Baby doctor appointment, so I'll post his stats afterward.

Dave's BIG 3-0 Birthday Surprise

Edwin and I wanted to do something really special for Dave this year to help him celebrate his BIG 3-0! So...

We went REALLY BIG...a 42" Flatscreen LCDHDTV. We may not have cable, but we have an awesome tv...we even put Dave's Steelers DVD in for the big reveal. I think he liked it and was genuinely surprised...we continued the celebration over Mexican dinner with our friends Nick and Jen...all in all, a fun day! Thanks to Grandpa Randy for helping pick up and set up the tv today!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNCLE DAVID

Happy birthday to you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVE!!!

Happy Birthday Dave!!!



Love,



Mindy & Edwin



PS: I'll post pics of Dave's birthday surprise tonight!!!

IDOL Reverse Power Rankings 3.10.09

13-Michael*
12-Jasmine*

**Michael and Jasmine will go home tomorrow night...

11-Megan
10-Scott
9-Anoop
8-Jorge
7-Alexis
6-Kris
5-Matt
4-Alison
3-Lil Rounds
2-Danny
and the winner is...




****UPDATE****
For the purpose of clarification, these power rankings are my prediction of actual voting...not necessarily my favorite performers...

So you're saying there's a chance...

George F. Will on if the Pittsburgh Pirates have a chance at .500 this season: "it's doable".

Cutest Baby Contest...

So...Edwin isn't America's Cutest Baby...but he is my cutest baby!!!!

Vote today for America's Cutest Baby!

There are some cute ones!!! So fun to look at!!!

These Boots are Made for Walking

Sam's

So the Rosses of KY have been Sam's Club members for a few months now.  I finally went there by myself to make a purchase yesterday.  I'm a little confused by the place...

Why do I have to show my ID on my way in and upon checkout?

Why would I need a 64-pack of granola bars?

Why don't they provide shopping bags with purchase?

Why do they check my receipt so meticulously on the way out?

Determination

WEEK IN REVIEW

I don't know about you, but we are having Spring Fever! It is amazing how warm 50 degrees can be, and today mid 60s. YES! However.... this also means that when we go to swim lessons, the inside temperature is murderous. Here is a photo of myself after the lesson. I went in with poker straight hair, and came out with funked up hair reminiscent of Herbie the Dentist. The swim instructor told me today that Madeline has actually begun to "swim". Yay, progress! She even jumped off the edge of the pool by herself (with swimmies) with no one to catch her. She is definitely improving there. We have 5 more weeks of sauna misery.

Matt survived an onslaught of permanent separations at his work. It is not fun to be put through that type of stress. We continue to hope that his time there will continue. His schedule is awesome and allows him to be home with the girls for 2 days.

This morning we went to Penney's for a photo shoot celebrating Spring! The girls looked so cute in their dresses and in honor of Mindy, I had them holding their specialized Cabbage Patch Babies with matching dresses! I will post a link when I get one. There maybe was one photo that didn't look good. So, of course, I ended up with way too many photos, but they won't go to waste. :) This week Madeline celebrated the Cat in the Hat at school. She came home with this lovely colored hat. Madeline is always so proud of the work she does at school. Apparently, she wanted to wear this throughout WalMart as well. HA!

And finally, we were watching Blues Clues this morning and they were making newspaper hats. The girls were really enjoying that so we made them right along with Steve. Here is how theirs turned out!

Manny

Exciting news...

The Ross Experience's favorite current major leaguer, Manny Ramirez, has agreed to terms with his the team he spent 53 regular season games + 2 post-season series with last year, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Reasons to like Manny Ramirez:

1. 2008 playoff numbers - .520 BA, 4 HRs, 10 RBIs in 8 games

2. 2008 NL regular season numbers - .396 BA, 17 HRs, 53 RBIs in 53 games

3. Career numbers - .314 BA, 527 HRs (17th all-time), 1725 RBIs (2oth all-time) in 16 seasons

4. The high five

5. The cell phone

6. And of course, the grill...

Edwin in Training (Video Highlights)

Saturdays with Edwin

Cheap Saturday entertainment: push Edwin around in (surprisingly nimble) IKEA shopping cart and watch him give you the tongue-out stamp of approval...

While there, we picked him out his first soccer ball (remember, step 1 in his ascendancy to NFL punting greatness is mastering soccer)...

He's yet to learn the don't eat ball part of the game, but we're working on it...