http://michellespengler.blogspot.com/

I need a fresh start so I started a new blog.... I'll keep this one around but won't be updating it...

Come and see my new space....

July 4th on the Esplanade in Boston.....

I know, this was over 6 months ago....but I really wanted to share....I meant to do this in July...oops!

The view from where we were sitting

Abby

Tommy

Our new friends

A foot bridge (not sure which one!)

The Red Line train....if look closely you can see the Museum of Science in the background!

My nephew Michael got to shoot the canon (practicing for the 1812 Overture!)

Mike and Michael

Daddy and Abby waiting for the Boston Pops and Neil Diamond!

Nate and Auntie Brenda

It finally began....very cool sitting this close!

Craig Ferguson being interviewed for the news.

The Pops!

My absolute favorite, Neil Diamond!

Abby and Auntie

The best seats in the house for the fireworks!

Abby was pooped!! (*I don't know the lady next to her....wish I knew how to blur her out!)

This was by far the highlight of my year...we had an incredible time!

Is it really November??

Wow, it seems like just yesterday the kids started back to school! And here were are, a hop, skip and a jump away from Christmas!!

Not much has been going on...no injuries (yay! If you remember, last year at this time I had 2 teenagers in casts up to their armpits!), the kids are doing well in school, husband is working (there is always a threat of lay-offs...especially in the construction industry...but so far so good), I am working (same job, over 20 years now...no threat of lay-offs for me!)...etc.

I've started my Christmas shopping! This is the FIRST TIME EVER I have started before Thanksgiving (even before Halloween!). Now that Abby is in school, I have plenty of free time to shop (good and bad).....I am more than 1/2 way done shopping for her and have picked up a few things for the boys! I plan on having my shopping done by Thanksgiving with one more shopping day for the Black Friday sales. I am perplexed about what to get my nieces....they are 8 years, 6 years, 3 years and one year.....hhhmmm...

Me and my coupons got about $650 worth of groceries 2 weeks ago for free! I spent everyday that week at Shaws, making several trips each day, but it was worth it! I am not your typical "weekly shopper"....I only buy what is on sale and then I stock up. I have an upright freezer, plus my fridge/freezer so I am able to REALLY stock up. When chicken is on sale I don't just buy 2 or 3 packs, I will buy 5 or 6....same thing with ground beef, steaks, etc. From that sale at Shaws 2 weeks ago I got enough Pillsbury refrigerated dough/cookies to last this family of six MONTHS!!! Not to mention the Chex Mix, Nature Valley Granola Bars, Fruit Snacks, Progresso soup etc. etc.

Let's see...I told you, not much going on! I'll have to drag out my camera, plug it in and upload some pics.....will get to that soon, promise (*wink)!

Hello

Well, hello blog! How are you?? Sorry I disappeared again....been busy, blah, blah, blah..

And by busy I mean, busy sitting around doing nothing from 12:30 to 3:30 while little miss is at school! It's been nice, this time to myself (first time in eons!)....the first week I was a mess though. But we are into the swing of things and Abby loves (LOVES) school!

The boys settled right in and are, presumably, doing well. Nate's in high school this year so there will be NO goofing off (especially if he wants to stay on the football team). Jamie loves school this year....he's taking some interesting classes....Street Law and Current Events...sounds interesting (I wish we had classes like that when I was in high school!). Tommy is adjusting well to middle school. I am a little concerned about his mouthy attitude lately though. I am not sure if it is the homework load and expectations of middle school or if it's his age....probably both!

We are enjoying watching the boys play football....Nate is a freshman (high school) and Tommy is a PeeWee. Nate is playing quarterback (scary) and Tommy, my big guy, is playing center/middle line backer. Nate's thrown a couple great passes (one game so far) and has only had one minor injury (squished hand). Tommy made a few great plays, some nice tackles.....mostly though, the boys are having fun (and staying out of trouble).

The fall is coming up right quick...my favorite season! I like the cool nights and mornings and the warmish afternoons! And my wedding anniversary/husband's birthday is coming up...on the 28th. He will be 38 and we will have been married for 13 years (together, obviously, a lot longer...).

Oh....I just realized, tomorrow is my BFF's 40th birthday!!! Happy Birthday Barbara!! I hope you have a great birthday and a great time at the Spa this weekend!!

Sorry for the silence....

I somehow got all wrapped up in facebook and neglected my blog! I got a message from my friend Annie.....she has a new blog! About food! Check it out, she has a delicious recipe posted.....yummy!

So, yeah, Facebook is a time suck.... I love Facebook, but it doesn't allow me to express myself completely. It's "abbreviated"...if that makes sense. Status updates can't replace blog posts.....

So much has been going on this summer....how about a list?

• The kids got out of school on June 18th. By July 1st they had ALL of their summer reading done! Then, and this is the amazing part, they continued to read and have all read well over the required amount! Needless to say we have been visiting the library often and I am tickled that they are enjoying books so much.
• We decided to go into Boston this year for the July 4th festivities. The Esplanade, Boston Pops, Neil Diamond and fireworks.....you knew I'd be there! I had the time of my life, sitting up front about 5 feet from the stage watching my beloved Neil Diamond. I got to spend the day with my kids and Hubby as well as my sisters and brother, nieces and nephew...I'll be posting some pictures in a future post.
• Billy took a week off this July...the first time in years. We stayed close to home and had a few day trips. It was nice to have him home for awhile and even cuter when Abby woke up in the morning delighted because "Daddy is home again?!?!?!?!???? Yay!!!"
• We took the kids (minus Tommy, who was in New Hampshire with Bren and Jamie who was hanging out with his friends....) to the Museum of Science. I've always loved the Science Museum and hadn't been there in years! Thanks to the Rockland Public Library, we got in free (a savings of $77.....).
• The last week in July was pretty "eventful" in a "Spengler" sort of way...... Abby had a little mishap at Auntie's and broke her arm. For all of you astute readers (Hi Mary! Hi Barbara!) you will remember that only 10 months ago Jamie AND Nate had broken arms..... It was nice to see Dr. Rynne though, he is such a pleasant man and he wasn't all that shocked to see us (again)....not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing though! No worries though, she is doing great and recovering nicely!
• Due to a very wet June Nate's baseball season extended into August. Usually it's over in June but, well, the weather and all...we had a few games in July and the last one in August. His team won 18 games (including all 4 play-off games) and had only one loss! It was an outstanding season and we were so proud of the boys!
• And now that baseball (at least for this kids) is over...we are looking forward to starting the youth football season. Tommy starts tomorrow (holy cow!) and Nate starts Freshman Football in 2 weeks (deep breaths, deep breaths....trying not to panic). Fingers crossed for no injuries......as much as I like Dr. Rynne (and am personally keeping him in business).....please, no injuries!
• We got great news, Abby has afternoon session for Kindergarten! She asks everyday, "How many more sleeps until school?", so cute!
• The boys on the other hand, not so excited. Nate and Tommy are both starting at new schools this year (high school and middle school, respectively). We have orientations and open houses coming up soon. For as much as they dread it....I am looking forward to it..
• For the first time in 17 years, all my children will be in school! So, stop by my house around 12:30 on September 9th....I'll be the loon with the silly grin on her face dancing around the house!

Mommy and Abby

10 on Tuesday...10 Least Liked Foods

This isn't an easy one as I like most foods. Although, the foods I dislike I really DISLIKE .....

1. Peas
2. Purple gumdrops, purple lollipops, purple jelly beans
3. All squash except zucchini and summer squash
4. Melon....all kinds including watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew (especially)
5. Lima beans and baked beans (I like other kinds of beans...like kidney beans and pinto beans)
6. Milk....even with chocolate
7. Strawberry flavored things (I tolerate fresh strawberries, but they are definitely not a favorite)
8. Rye bread (and pumpernickel too)
9. Sweet potatoes
10. Peas.....I really, really, really dislike peas...
    

Another "meme"..... When you answer, you are answering for you and your significant other. I "stole" this from That Chick Over There . She's a hoot, you should check out her blog!

What are your middle names?
Billy's is Paul (he is a junior) and mine is Lee.....goes great with Michelle!

How long have you been together?
Since the dawn of time! December 18 we started dating......

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
A couple of months, we used to hang out at the same place (my dad was a DJ, he knew Billy before I did)

Who asked whom out?
I pursued him....we only went out that first time because his friend and my cousin liked each other.

How old are each of you?
We are both 37 until March 23, then I will be 38......I am 6 months and 5 days older!

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Mine for sure.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Hhhmmm, maybe raising the kids?

Did you go to the same school?
Until 6th grade, then I moved to another town.

Are you from the same home town?
Kind of. I lived in Weymouth until I was 12, then moved to Rockland. He lived in Weymouth until we moved in together (Rockland).

Who is smarter?
Intellectually we are equals. He has strengths (converting metric in his head for instance) and I have strengths (a weirdly extensive vocabulary...which you'd only know if you played Scrabble with me..).

Who is the most sensitive?
Of course me!

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
LaPaloma in Quincy, MA. Every Friday, unless we decide to go out on Wednesday.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, New Hampshire (about 100 miles from here).

Who has the craziest exes?
Not sure either of us has any crazy exes. I have no idea who his ex-girlfriends are!

Who has the worst temper?
Depends on the issue. Probably me..

Who does the cooking?
ME! All of it....

Who is the neat-freak?
Neither of us is technically a "neat-freak", but we are both neat.

Who is more stubborn?
me

Who hogs the bed?
He does by far! We have a king size...he sleeps in the MIDDLE...I sleep on the very edge.

Who wakes up earlier?
He does by far....he leaves the house at 4:30 AM. I get up at 6:30 to get the kids ready for school.

Where was your first date?
The movies....we saw Addams Family Values. It was the worst movie I ever saw....I fell asleep!

Who is more jealous?
Neither one of us.

How long did it take to get serious?
About a month.

Who eats more?
He does.

Who does the laundry?
Um, honestly? The kids! But, he does do more than I do.....except I fold it all.

Who's better with the computer?
Let's put it this way.....he doesn't even know how to turn the thing on....

Who drives when you are together?
I used to but around the time I turned 35 I decided he should always drive when we were together. Now I NEVER drive if we are together!

How old are you?

Some very interesting things have been going on here this February vacation. Aside from Nate playing PS3 basically all day long, we have been reading interesting things. I recently bought a book for the family, The Encyclopedia of Immaturity . It is quite interesting with things like, "How to Build a Plastic Spoon Catapult" and "Top Ten Facts of All Time" and then the "Are You Getting All the Birthdays You Deserve?"....which is what I wanted to talk about.

Did you know that when you are 2 years, 8 months and 27 days old your are actually 1000 days old? And if you are 5 years, 5 months and 23 days old you are 2000 days old. So on and so forth.... It just so happens that out of the 8 kids between my sister and I, 6 of them are celebrating thousand day birthdays this year (wow).

In March Breanne will be 3000 days old, Kaylee will be 1000 days old and Nate will be 5000 days old (seems so oooollllddd). In April Devyn will be 2000 days old , in May Tommy will be 4000 days old and in August Abby will be 2000 days old. What a huge coincidence that in the year 2009 most of our kids would have these "special birthdays".

It was fun to figure this out and will be even more fun when these "birthdays" roll around. Yippee, another reason to celebrate!

I am still "Facebooking"......

deleted

This is the progress of my package......

I won an Ebay auction.....the person mailed it UPS...

Package Progress
Location Date Local Time Description
SHREWSBURY,
MA, US 02/02/2009 4:41 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
CHELMSFORD,
MA, US 02/02/2009 3:50 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
SHREWSBURY,
MA, US 02/02/2009 3:36 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
CHELMSFORD,
MA, US 02/01/2009 10:29 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
SHREWSBURY,
MA, US 01/31/2009 12:51 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
HARRISBURG,
PA, US 01/31/2009 5:12 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
01/31/2009 1:21 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
EAST PETERSBURG,
PA, US 01/30/2009 9:13 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
01/30/2009 8:09 P.M. ORIGIN SCAN
01/30/2009 11:06 A.M. PICKUP SCAN
US 01/27/2009 3:28 P.M. BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED

Tracking results provided by UPS: 02/02/2009 9:05 P.M. ET


Does this make any sense to you?

What the hell is wrong with UPS? Do they really need to have a pissing contest between locations?

Shrewsbury: "This is your responsibility"
Chelmsford: "No way dude, it's yours"
Shrewsbury: "Um, it's yours....now deal with it"
Chelmsford: "Uh uh, I'm not doing it.....have it back"

I just want the package...it's a snowsuit for Abby...by the time they figure out what the hell they are doing it'll be spring!!

This is a "25 Random Things About Me" meme I posted on my Facebook......

1. I know this sounds corny but, from the moment I first laid eyes on my husband I knew we were soul mates (you can ask Barbara….she was there).

2. I feel safest when my entire family is home and tucked in bed…..I sleep soundly knowing everyone is safe.

3. While some people complain about their mother-in-laws….I often feel like I missed out on something great. Unfortunately my mother-in-law passed away early in our relationship. She was a wonderful woman and I miss what could have been.

4. Even though I had my first child soon after my 21^st birthday, I was still able to do many of the things people do before they settle down.

5. I have driven across the United States, driven down the east coast (several times), flown across the country more times than I can remember and visited 26 of the 50 states.

6. Of my four children, 2 of them were completely natural births…..if I had to choose between medicated birth and natural birth….natural birth wins hands down!

7. I have had the same job for almost 20 years now! It has evolved over the years to accommodate motherhood and my need to be home with the kids. I am lucky to only have to work a few nights a week….

8. I love to knit (yes Mary, I will teach you…..next time you are in town, let me know and I’ll get out some sticks and string!). I learned when I was 8 (almost 30 years ago) but have only been knitting steadily for 15 years.

9. I am a coupon user……to the point that my husband calls it a sport. I very rarely pay full price for anything and often (while combining coupons and sales) get things for FREE! Some things I never pay cash for? Toothpaste, shampoo (all hair stuff actually), razors, shave cream, deodorant, dish soap, noodles, rice, pasta, stuffing mix, frozen veggies and many more items that escape my memory right now.

10. Animals don’t like me…..cat’s tend to avoid me and dogs bark at me. But my daughter on the other hand has a way with animals. Deer, goats, sheep….they are drawn to her. While other children tend to scare off these types of animals at petting zoos my daughter quickly finds herself surrounded by them!

11. I love Neil Diamond…..really, really.

12. For someone who was born and raised in the Northeast I sure do hate the cold and snow!

13. Someday I hope to move to somewhere warmer (oh who am I kidding….I will be moving to Arizona at some point….I’m just not quite ready yet though….)

14. My friend Barbara and I have been best buds for 27 years (right Barbara?…..I was in 6^th grade…..)… The 2500 miles between us makes me sad sometimes!

15. The simple things in life make me happy……children’s laughter, the smell of a clean baby, high school football games, my husband’s smile…..the sunshine, green grass…

16. The only person I really talk to on the phone is my sister Brenda…we can talk for hours and hours everyday and still never run out of things to talk about. If for some crazy reason we miss a day…like a busy Sunday with the kids…it nags at me (“must call Bren, need to talk to Bren”).

17. I love football and baseball. The Pats and Sox….and of course the teams my sons play for (Nate will be starting freshman football this summer!!)

18. Even though I have an “almost 17” year old…it’s my “almost 14” year old that makes me feel old. I can’t believe he will be starting high school in September! That will make 2 in high school, one in middle school and one in elementary school……eeks!

19. I am not your stereotypical woman….I dislike shopping, only going to the mall if I HAVE to.

20. I love to read but have to limit myself. I tend to get so absorbed in my book I lose track of what is going on around me. The summer I was pregnant with Abby I read 32 books….

21. I recently renewed my driver’s license….I now have a “corrective lenses” restriction. I knew it was coming…..I thought it wouldn’t bother me but for some strange reason it does.

22. I have a knack for remembering dates and phone numbers……and birthdays and peoples ages (and because of the type of work I am in….fax numbers, social security numbers, pay rates etc.)…but for some reason I can’t remember what year I got married (September 28^th)!

23. I see little bits of myself in my children. Unfortunately it’s not all “good bits”…sometimes it’s the “not so good bits”….like, all of my children have the same ugly big toe that I have (who would have thought that what your big toe looked like was a hereditary trait?!)

24. It has taken me forever to compile this list…..I tend to be indecisive, often deleting this and adding that etc….

25. I have the best family in the entire world!!

He was going to wait until he was 30 to tell me.....

Some surprising information has come to light recently and I need to share it. Usually something like this I would share, right away, with my dear husband.....but, in this case...waiting until Jamie is 30 seems pretty reasonable. What I am about to tell you all, dear readers, would absolutely freak my husband out (believe it or not, he (the one who has no room to talk) is not very understanding of teenage antics).

Remember Jamie's broken arm? How he broke it while skateboarding? While in the Burger King parking lot? Well.....none of that is true! It's all a crock of bull..........

He and his friend, the one that drives the red pick-up truck, were hanging out in the high school/middle school parking lot (along with about 30 other kids........in this town that is not suspect, bad or unusual...we are a small town and the kids for the most part get along great...). For some stupid teenage reason Jamie decided to lie on the hood of the truck while his friend drove around! Well his friend stopped suddenly......and Jamie started sliding off the hood and instinct told him to put his hands down and break his fall. He hit his head (pretty severely....wish I had known the truth, I would have had the doctors examine this a little more thoroughly) and was knocked out for a second..... He came to, jumped up and claimed he was fine. He realized pretty quickly he was not, in fact, fine when the 30 or so onlookers were looking at him funny. He glanced down and saw the broken arm....... His friend drove him home (I thought it was funny the friend didn't stick around.....Apparently Jamie kicked him out because he wanted to tell me the truth and Jamie wanted to give me a line of bull....).

The rest of the story is the same....we rushed to the hospital....blah, blah, blah.

Honestly I am not surprised. I wasn't totally convinced he was telling me the truth from the get go. You know how you can just tell when your kid is lying? I even asked him several times if he was fooling around with the truck......maybe holding on to the bumper while on the skateboard. I think this has been weighing on Jamie's mind lately because he seemed a little bit relieved when he told me. I think what they did was stupid and he should not have lied...but, in light of some personal things he is going through right now, I am not going to punish him. I guarantee he will never do something like that again....he is definitely someone who "learns his lesson" with consequences to his actions (very rare indeed...especially for an impulsive teen). And since he was absolutely miserable with the broken arm....I hardly think he would risk breaking it (or worse....) again!

Ah, that feels better....I needed to get that off my chest (and don't worry...my husband doesn't even know how to turn the computer on never mind check my blog!)

Oh No!!!

I think I accidentally deleted my Facebook.......oh crap...... My friend Louise said, "You must have committed Facebook suicide".

I think I might cry, for real.

I have an email into the wonderful people who run Facebook.....hopefully they can get me back....

I am going to lie down now.