Hope

We have been enjoying our holiday break as a family. Our heat was fixed but the sewer pipes gave way and have caused more problems. R and I have decided a new way to tackle all these problems...laughter! It's amazing how much less serious things appear when you just laugh together. We hope that 2010 will bring us joy and laughter at a new house and less drama. It's been extremely hard to deal with everything but we are hopeful that together as a family we will survive and one day laugh and say "remember that place we rented?"
In the meantime, we have enjoyed many mornings snuggled in our pajamas.
Someone has enjoyed the bed with his parents A LOT! (can you tell how wild his hair is? I just love it in the morning)
He sleeps quite well in the middle and is a happy little guy when he wakes up. We just love kissing on him every morning. And, he loves it too!
We have enjoyed playing with new toys and just hanging out.
Santa was very generous to this little guy this year. More on that later this week.
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! MAY 2010 BE FILLED WITH MANY BLESSINGS!

Merry X-Mas and Happy New Year!

We would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

We have been living with my parents this past weekend waiting for a new furnace to be installed. In the middle of all the madness I will be taking a blogging break until the new year. I hope that 2010 will be better for us than the last month of 2009. We are staying positive and have to remember that our health is most important. Daniel has been having fun building a family of snowmen with his grandparents and getting lots of hugs and kisses.

May this Holiday season bring you lots of joy and happiness. Till next year!

Santa, where are you?

The "purple lady" has failed us again. The heat is out and we need a new furnace!
It was 59 degrees in the house last night.
Today I dropped off D at my in-laws and we plan to stay with my parents until all this is over. They are giving up their bedroom for us to stay comfortable. Everyone has been so supportive but it's really starting to get to Ryan and me. Between the furnance, the washer, the water, the garbage, I don't think I can take anymore.
I just keep praying that this will be over and that Santa will bring us the gift of heat, clean clothes, no water coming up and a clean back yard to look through my window in the kitchen. Santa, can you come earlier for us, please?!

Weekend recap in words

Our camera is still acting funky so I didn't even bother with any pics this weekend. Saturday we got a new washer delivered only to find the parts frozen. We had to wait an entire day to do laundry with a space heater in front of the washer only to find out there is a pipe that is broken somewhere under the house because water started seeping under the toilet in the hallway, water was also coming out under the baseboards. The shower wasn't draining water and Ryan had water up to his ankles. Another call to the landlord left me drained and exhausted. With cold weather coming again it didn't sound good when the landlord asked me "who should I call?' Another day at the "purple lady" and dealing with "she devil".
Saturday we did some house hunting and left hopeful that spring will bring better inventory than what we're seeing now. R and I both agree we should have looked more seriously when we put our house for sale. Thanks to my mom, Daniel's laundry was done and Ryan's laundry was done by his mom. My laundry, well, it's coming along.
We ventured out to see "candy lane street" that Ryan claimed was 5-10 minutes away from our house. He proclaimed this street decorated the homes so beautifully that Daniel would be so impressed and told me "you want lights, I'll show you lights". We knew something didn't look right when the streets were dark and only a few homes were decorated. R searched on the Internet what happened to the street and realized that things change after 10 years. Did I mention I told him 5 times to make sure this place was still around? MEN!
Sunday, church was canceled 5 minutes before we left because I was nervous about the water.
Later, Daniel took a 3 and 1/2 hour nap while I met my mom, sister and niece for coffee and some good old girl talk. R relaxed and watched football. We had dinner later and just spent some family time together. It was nice. This coming weekend Santa is on the schedule.

Some cheer

There is nothing like the holidays to bring some cheer into a home. This past month has been extremely stressful and downright draining on me but with the help of an elf (mom in law) and one box of X-Mas decorations found amidst the chaos in the garage, X-Mas is here!
I realized one box of decorations out of the 10 that I had is enough to bring the magic of the holidays inside the not so homey rental we have. Everyone says family is what matters this time of year and giving is better than receiving, yes that is all true but there is something about a lit tree and some greenery that made me feel warm inside, a warmth I haven't felt in quite some time. Of course the heat being out multiple times didn't help with that. :)

Our small, ornament less but still special tree, reminds me we don't need expensive ornaments to have a gorgeous background for family pictures, even if Daniel's stocking takes up half the tree. :)
Our wreath on the door, teaches me that PEACE is so important, especially when I've been screaming at a landlord daily. :)
Our table center piece, reminds me to be thankful that we have food and a roof over our head, even if that roof is unstable and may cave at any moment. :)
Daniel's advent calendar, reminds me that days go by way too quickly as I watch him grow up in front of my eyes, and that sometimes it's OK to forget the dishes in the sink and just have a tickle fight on the floor. :)
This small house, we got it for our first X-Mas in our old home, reminds me that home is where your family is, even if that home is temporary and is falling apart.
Family keeps it together.

Better late than never

It's been a little nuts at the Marron clan household lately. With our heat out again, the washing machine broken and just being busy, the blog was the last thing on my mind.

Saturday, D, my mother-in-law and I went to see Yo Gabba Gabba LIVE! It was D's first "concert" and he loved it. He did so good. At first the lights and loud sounds scared him but then he just starred at them in amazement. We got him a t-shirt, a CD and Brobee (one of the characters), he is in love with this new plush toy. He carries him everywhere. It's adorable.
Brobee (the green guy all the way on the left)
Brobee in the air

Grandma and D.
Grandma got D a light saber thingy
D was amazed by the show
My camera breaking before your eyes
And....BROKEN
Sunday, R and I went to see Star Wars in concert. It was a great show. The music was unbelievable. After the show we went out to dinner, it's been a long time since we had a day out like that, it was nice.

Now, back to the drama of renting from "she devil". I think threatening to call the village has helped to speed things along. The heat was fixed (we'll see for how long), we found out the furnace is 14 years old and has not been maintained at all. We're going to see a couple of homes this weekend so wish us luck! Winter has officially arrived in Chicago, I hate it more and more every year. The snow blowing, the salt, the scraping of cars early in the morning...I need to save more for that condo in AZ I keep dreaming about retiring in.

just a few complaints

For the past several days I have been dealing with the landlord from hell. It started with arguing with her that 2 old toilets and a bunch of construction garbage left in the back yard is NOT OK, continued with trying to convince her that a gas leak is a big deal and ending with screaming at her that having heat is a necessity even without a child.
Our heat went out and finally was fixed by my brother in law at 10pm. That is of course AFTER the landlord (now known as "she devil") sent her handyman, who showed up with a couple of screws in a jewel bag. I knew I was in trouble when he arrived 2 hours late with a s/he assistant, who stood there and smiled for no apparent reason.
To add to the drama of the story the morons that rehabbed this house put the furnace in the attic, which in a normal attic wouldn't be a big deal but this attic is the size of a tiny closet for a person that is 4ft tall. I called another company and after the 6.1 ft tall and about 300lbs guy saw where he would need to squeeze into he kindly apologized, laughed and LEFT. This left me no choice but to ask for a favor AGAIN. After a couple of hours and some acrobatic moves to get in and out of the space my brother in law was a hero. Thank goodness Daniel spent the entire day at his grandparents warm house and I took a day off of work and was under the covers cursing to everyone that would listen.
Some other issues we're dealing with at the same time (I need to get it off my chest)

1. The dishwasher and stove at our old house broke after closing and now the insurance company thinks it broke before closing and refuses to pay for anything. Tell me how can they prove it broke BEFORE closing?! Do they have a crystal ball that looks in the past? I think I would know that the stove broke the day before moving because the foul language that came out of my mouth had everyone impressed the following day.
2. Our big screen TV in the family room is busted. We ordered the lamp and installed it and still nothing. The biggest insult is when we took out the old bulb we realized the last time we had someone come out to change it they cheated us and installed a smaller and cheaper bulb that gave out a year later. I'll be calling and complaining tomorrow about that.
3. Our cable transfer was a complete disaster. We had 2 people here to get it done right and were told our bill would reflect a credit for our troubles. I had a $200 surprise waiting for me in an envelope yesterday with no credit anywhere in the fine print.
4. The old toilets and trash is still in the back yard and today I refused to call anyone to complain about even further, instead my fingers did some typing of a nasty letter that will be sent as evidence.

On to some fun stuff...since we don't have a tub in the house I was very concerned about Daniel hating the shower and would have to resort to buying one of those euro tubs. To my surprise he loves it! Here he is having a blast in the shower!


I think he knows mommy is about to have a nervous breakdown and he's being such a good sport about everything. I can't believe in 4 months he will be 2 years old!!!!!

A new door opens

We made it!!

We successfully moved a 3 bedroom, 2 and 1/2 bath home, with a basement, shed and lots of storage into a 2 bedroom 2 bath, no basement, one car garage rental in under 4 hours!

Last week is already a blur to me but I do remember on Wednesday my sitter and I hauling soo many things into the rental that I thought my arms were going to fall off.

I was sick on Thanksgiving day and it remains a mystery if it was allergies or if my mom's secret syrup (pickle juice, garlic, onion, etc.) cured me but I was all better by Friday to move more things with R and Saturday to supervise for the big move.

Thursday we wanted to forget about the move and enjoy the holiday. The day started with watching the Macy's Parade. Daniel enjoyed the Yo Gabba Gabba characters singing and dancing.

After a quick visit from Grandma and Grandpa M we were off to my mom's for dinner. Before we left we tried to take some pics in our old house but making a 19 month old smile and cooperate is a battle.

Our last family picture at our old house.

We stuffed our faces with a very delicious turkey.

This child ate so much I thought he was going to explode. He ate EVERYTHING on the menu including the stuffing.
but he worked off the calories chasing after my sister's dog. I see a puppy in his future. He just squeals with delight as soon as he sees him. Kuba loves chasing after D too and licking his ears.

Can you tell that his two older cousins just love the company of a toddler?
Saturday the move went well. No tears were shed. The house is ready for the new home owners. I bought the couple a congrats card and left them a bottle of champagne. I couldn't help myself especially since they will be walking into a house with a broken dishwasher AND oven! The good person that I am I turned on the self clean cycle on the oven and the darn digital display must have melted away because everything shut down and the door remains closed. Thank God for home owners insurance that we purchased. Again being the good person I am we will pay the deductible of $75 and hope it will be fixed for them.

The movers were worth every penny and we loved them and are planning to hire them again for our "real" move. We also loved them because they smelled the gas leak we discovered right outside our window. Nicor came out quickly and fixed it. Never a dull moment!

Daniel is enjoying the new house. He hasn't really played with any of his toys because he is just fascinated by the new rooms and features of the house such as the...

old laundry basket he pushes all around the house. He does lock himself constantly in the bathrooms and then yells for help.

I wanted to make sure to decorate his new room as close as possible to the old room.

Pretty good, huh?

Our new living room

and kitchen

Can you tell we've been eating a lot of take out? The other rooms are in no shape to take pics of, the garage is packed to the ceiling and door but we hope it's all worth it in the end.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

We are on a search for our new home and hope next year we'll have a family picture in our new house and a bird on the table.

Outsourcing AND blogging break

Aside from more packing and planning out this crazy upcoming week nothing really has been going on if you consider nothing closing on our house on Friday and signing our lease on "purple lady" the same evening.
As I planned the week out I realized there is only 5 days remaining before our big move and I needed help, help with getting "purple lady" up to my standards of cleanliness. Anyone that knows me knows that I can be anal about a clean house and although "purple lady" is temporary it will be our home and it must be clean. My co-workers convinced me to get a cleaning lady for the rental so that I wouldn't waste a vacation day scrubbing and cleaning and I agreed completely. Not only will I not have to wear rubber gloves and smell like bleach but I'm helping someone else at the same time to earn a few bucks.
Aside from leaving the rental in not so great condition and 2 broken toilets in the back yard the house looked decent.
I'll be taking a blogging break all week but next week I'll post pictures of our crib.
WISH ME LUCK!
Oh and Daniel said "dada". I can die now! I'll be reminding him who gave birth to him until he makes it up to me.
He tends to say "dada" when Ryan offers him a chip and asks him "who am I?" before giving him the chip. Evil!

Roles Defined

When you become a parent of a boy or girl somehow your role in their life is pretty much defined without reading too many text books on the topic.

Boys will be boys

and girls will always try to make their man love the arts.

These moments are a good distraction for me from the usual packing, taping and labeling that I have been doing around here.

We found a rental and we'll be moving next Saturday!

I'll be taking a blogging break next week to clean and move our stuff into the new house I am now calling "Purple Lady". Why you ask? Well, the exterior of the house we are renting is a fine shade of not one but two purple colors! It's only temporary, it's only temporary....

P.S. Update on the X-Mas pics some of you emailed me about feeling sorry for me---we have a X-Mas card!! Daniel did much better the following day!

Take number 9999999

Today we ventured out to take the dreaded professional X-Mas pics at the mall! They were running about 20 minutes behind, as usual.

We always have a vision of Daniel sitting on a little couch with his legs properly crossed, holding a beautiful ornament, with a sparking X-mas tree behind him and his face beaming with delight that X-Mas is almost here. I envision everyone opening a card from the Marron's and thinking "what a cute boy and look how he poses, he's so well mannered".

All I have to say to that is "It ain't gonna happen this year"!!!!!

Daniel would not sit, pose, smile or do anything the photographer wanted him to do. I left sweating (just like from his 1 year photos) with not even ONE picture to purchase. I had a coupon for 50% off!!!!!!!!!! Doesn't he realize what a great deal that is?

I tried even posing him by trees in front of Macy's thinking it's less pressure on him. The bottom line is he just wants to do what he wants to do.

Let me leave with this...if the photos below are of him AFTER the session with no pressure, what do you think happened during the actual session? Pure ugliness. Bahumba!

"Thank God that's over"

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Look where?"

To be continued....

Looooong post/Weekend recap

Yesterday D and I went to my sister's because the day before I forgot my cell phone. D had a great time with his cousins but mostly with the dog!
Here he is with his cousin Lexi.
A family photo

Here he is running after Kuba. Daniel walked him on his leash but I left the camera in the car and by the time I got it he didn't want to hold the leash. It was hilarious and he was laughing so hard until the dog yanked on the leash and D fell.

Playing some ball with cousin Chris.

Family fun

Mommy trying to pose D for a cute fall pic, D wasn't interested.

"Wait you go in the bushes AND lift your leg up?" Hmmmm. Actually Daniel did go on the potty for the first time on Saturday. He went pee pee!!!! I don't think he gets it at all but the fact that he sat on his potty for more than 10 seconds is a first. We'll take it.

"Me and my best friend"

Saturday we went to D's morning class. He was BAD! He didn't want to share.

He threw a fit during circle time!And wanted to do his own thing. He had another boy join him. Leaders not followers, I guess.
He wanted nothing to do with craft time. Daddy had to do it for him. It was just down right embarrassing! Until it was open gym time and he went wild.

After all that fun, I finally packed a few boxes and took them over to my mom's. These are boxes with my China in them. I took all the pics off the walls and the house is looking emptier.

We went to look at a few rentals yesterday and all I have to say to anyone that is trying to flip a house is "PUT IN A TUB IN AT LEAST ONE BATHROOM!!". 2 rentals did not have a tub in them. 2 full bathrooms and not one tub! How am I supposed to give a toddler a bath?! One rental that we thought was a done deal last week just went under contract. This adds to the stress we're already under BUT it will work out, we just know it. If my in-laws are reading this they will start to worry about it all so I'm sure I will get a call from them. I'm right aren't I mom and dad? They have lived in the same house for 30 years so moving to them is more traumatic than to me as I have moved multiple times. We love you guys but once again WE'LL BE FINE!!! :)

Speaking of great in-laws how cute is the little Halloween house that my MIL made with D last week! He keeps trying to take the pretzels off the roof! Great job you two!