Mardi Gras!

Every year Universal Studios hosts a 3 month long Mardi Gras celebration.  Every weekend they have decent bands come and perform and have a Mardi Gras parade with lots of beads.  These concerts are included in your day pass for the park.  So Mr. E and I go twice a year to our favorite bands.  We only go twice because my parents who work for Universal in the event department get 2 free tickets each.  This  year we decided to go to Kelly Clarkson and either Nelly or MC Hammer :)  

Saturday night was Kelly Clarkson.  Whenever, we go out in the evening, my Mom usually watches Little Lion.  My Dad decided to still work at Universal.  His event job was to walk along one of the floats during the parade to make sure that people don't run into the streets.  Well the week before my parents were working the parade and the leader was talking to them and said that Mr.E and I could ride on the float if we wanted.  So when the opportunity came, Mr. E and I took it!!  

We had to arrive at 6 to get our parade guest wrist bands.  Then Mr. E and I of course went to the beer tent :)  We figured if we were going to be chucking beads at people we should do it in true Mardi Gras fashion!!  At 7 we were escorted in and assigned floats.  My parents had given us the low down as to what floats were the best and which had the most beads to throw.  And as luck would have it or *who you know*, we got to be on the last float on the top floor.  It was the Gator which had a mouth that opened and smoke that came out of it's nose.  The Gator also had the most beads.  Seriously there were thousands of beads!  We should have taken a picture of how many beads there were!

Mr. E and I were given light up shirts to wear.  We climbed up to the top of the Gator and waited for our ride to begin.  Here is how cute we looked...via camera phone ;)  

So the parade gets started.  WOW I now know what it feels like to be a rock star!!!  The crowd was HUGE and everyone was screaming and trying to get your attention for the beads!!!  Get your head out of the gutters people there was NO flashing....we're at a family park :)  So for 30 minutes we were the greatest people on the face of the earth!  It was so much fun and a work out too!  You have to wing those beads so that the people in the back get beads too!  Our friends were there and managed to get a picture of Mr. E sending some beads there way.  We are the first 2 people.

After the parade was finished, we were able to keep the left over beads.  We had so many left that we didn't even take them all, but you could have called us Mr and Mrs. T :)  

Kelly Clarkson started soon after and you couldn't even walk anywhere.  They said there was 40-50,000 guests!!  I've never seen so many people in one spot.  Here is our view of the stage and the TV.  

As you can tell Kelly was only an inch tall, but we could see her.  However, she put on a great concert and actually sounds as good in person as on her CD.  We had a great time with friends too and with each other ;)  

We can't wait until the next concert.  And maybe we'll get on the float again!  

Train Party!

Little Lion and I were invited to LL's cousin J's 3rd birthday party on Friday.  We thought it was just going to be a short train ride on an old train.  Boy were we wrong :)  We took the Amtrak to Lakeland.  Here is LL's first ride in a train.  


As you can see it was roomy.  The chairs also had an extension so you could put your legs out and nap.  Little Lion enjoyed looking out the window and looking behind him at his friends in their seats.  

When we got to Lakeland, we walked over to the park in front of the children's museum.  (I should mention that LL had a fit the entire walk which was no fun for Mommy trying to carry him/stroller/diaper bag....Life isn't always easy with a 2 year old especially one with no nap). After the meltdown, we had a nice picnic lunch and listened to a bum play his guitar :)  

The kid's museum was fun.  There was a lot of interactive activities for the kids. They could go shopping in the grocery store, dress up like firemen and drive the fire truck, run the news station, and watch how the water cycle moves around.  Now LL had two favorite areas.  First was the airplane.  He's really into airplanes right now.  We sit outside on the trampoline and watch them fly over our house.  So he got to pilot his first flight.  
The second best part of the museum was the orange grove/factory.  They had orange trees where the kids picked the oranges (orange balls) off.  Then they went up to the top of the platform and pushed the oranges down the tubes where they were sent to the factory.  In the factory they went through the conveyor belt and then into juice:)  Here is LL picking oranges with the birthday boy and then sending the oranges down the tube.

After finishing up at the museum we walked back to the train station and took the train home.  It was a fun and unique birthday party.  LL was very tired on the way home.  So tired he was giggly.  Here is the sleepy, giggly, and extremely cute Little Lion.

Happy 3rd Birthday Cousin J!  Thanks for the invite!

What I did this weekend...

A Pole Dancing Class!!!  Yes as in what strippers use :)  My ex-teacher girlfriends thought we'd try out this *exercise* class for our monthly fun activity.  And boy oh boy it was FUN!!  I wasn't sure what to expect since it was a beginners class, but we learned a pole dance with sexy spins and lifts. 

But before I tell you about it, I want to share the secrets I learned about pole dancing.  

1.  The pole revolves.  I always thought (not that I actually go to strip clubs ;) wow those girls can work it while spinning when actually they weren't doing near as much work as I thought.  Plus gravity helps them go fast and slow. 

2.  When the stripper sprays the pole down with alcohol, not only does that disinfect any germs (ewww), but also helps the girls grip the pole.  Because with a slippery pole you only fall down and that = NO MONEY ;)

3.  There is actually a product called Pole Grip.  You put this gel on your hands and it turns into a powder to help you grip the pole.  Just like the gymnasts use on the bars.  

4.  Hot knee high f*ck me boots and f*ck me pumps actually are a very useful tool!  They give your feet a grip on the pole and the boots help hold you when doing certain spins.  See they do serve a valid purpose :) 

Ok onto the good stuff....pictures ;)  Yes we were silly girls taking pictures of our accomplishments....ie show our hubbies ;)

This is our 43 year old with 3 kids instructor!!!! She was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! She had a fabulous body and could lots of fancy tricks!

Here R and I are practicing our Fireman spins.  

My girls T, R, and S showing off their sexy pole dancing moves ;)  LOL


One of the hardest things we *tried* to do while looking sexy was climb the pole.  Let me tell you that you need a ton of upper body strength!  I also really wished I had f*ck me boots because I tore up the top of my foot, but gosh darn it I was getting to the top of that pole!!!

All in all this was a great activity to do with girlfriends! I would totally take a class again.  It really was a great workout and I was sore the next couple of days.  I must give credit to the strippers of America because you have got to be in shape and know how to work the pole!!  And here are my HOT, SEXY FRIENDS!!!

Shamu!

Today my girlfriend C and I took our boys to SeaWorld.  We had perfect weather...upper 70's and sunshine!  This was C's first time taking out her 2 year old Little C and her 2 month old Baby C.  Little Lion and Little C have been to SeaWorld many many times, but it was a new adventure with Baby C.  The boys were good as long as the 2 of us stayed on top of them and had food and moved quickly to the next animal :)  The favorites of the day were the penguins and sharks.  

We were surprised that the Budweiser Clydesdale Horses were still there since the park was bought out.  The boys enjoyed looking at the huge monsters and LL naaaaaaing (neighing).  We walked through were the free beer used to be and shed a few tears since this was usually our saving grace wrangling two 2 year olds through SeaWorld.  Hopefully another beer maker will buy the park and continue with that great tradition ;)

The best part of the day was a last minute stop by.  We decided to check out Shamu's underwater windows.  Usually he is never in there.  Well today he was!!!!  And it wasn't crowded!!  The boys enjoyed watching Shamu do his laps around the pool.  Here's me, Little C, and LL in the stroller watching Shamu swim by.

I love Florida in the spring!! 

Oh and an Ipod update.....still not working!!!!!!  I guess I don't have enough Irish in me;(  

Irish Luck Please!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I'm hoping to find some Irish luck today!  When we went to Wisconsin, Mr. E thought it would be a good idea to buy Little Lion and Ipod Touch to keep him occupied.  LL loved the Ipod and used it a lot in the car!  It was a great $250 toy for him!  

So LL continued to enjoy the ipod for the past 2 weeks.  Well Sunday morning, Mr. E was in charge of LL as I was taking a shower.  Mr. E thought LL would enjoy playing with the Ipod.  Mr.E thought letting LL play with the Ipod would allow him to watch Battlestar Galactica.  They both got to do what they wanted.

30 minutes later I was ready to go.  I ask Mr. E where is the Ipod because I notice LL doesn't have it.  I don't know is the answer I get.  GREAT!  Mr. E thinks it's in the bedroom...nope.  I say did you let LL take it outside.  Again I don't know.  Sure enough I look outside and see the $250-2 week old Ipod sitting in a huge puddle of water next to LL water bowl that he plays with.  I run out to it and see it is soaked.  Does it turn on.....NOOOOO!  Who lets a 2 year old with a $250 toy outside near his water which is his favorite thing to play with outside????  DADDY!!!!

We google the problem and they suggest to put it in a bowl of rice.  Rice is a water absorber and should help get out the water.  There are no guarantees and Apple won't take it back.  The Ipod has been in rice for almost 48 hours.  We tried it yesterday and no such luck.  Today being a lucky Irish holiday, hopefully will help bring our Ipod back to life!  And this is why Daddy goes to work and Mommy stays home to WATCH Little Lion.  

Happy St. Patty's Day!  Here's to finding the gold at the end of the rainbow!

Can You Hear Me Now?

Yesterday, Mr. E and I (and his coworker S) went to Gatornationals in Gainesville.  It was my first time to a drag racing competition.  Mr. E has been going for a few years, but I've always managed to get out of it.  Mr. E really wanted me to go and feel the excitement. How much excitement can you feel??  Drag racing didn't sound very exciting.  It's just 2 cars racing each other a short distance..woo hoo.  It sounded as exciting as the Pepsi 400 Nascar race we went to...cars going round and round and round and round and round....... (not knocking diehard fans, just not my cup of tea)

He enticed me by telling me about the fun tailgating they do with breakfast, lunch, and lots of beer included.  A bunch of his friends and wives were going too.  OK great, I like that :0)  Here is our set up.  We had 2 tents, 2 grills, 20 chairs, 1 table, 8 coolers, and lots of food and beer.

While we were tailgating.  ESPN came over and filmed us in our crazy glory.  After eating breakfast, we headed over to the track.  Mr. E explained that it would be loud, and we needed earplugs.  I was like for cars?????  However, marriage is nicer with earplugs in :)

WOOAAHHH!! The first race started, I luckily put my earplugs in in time.  The sound literally made me jump and it shook my whole body as the 2 cars going 250mph past us.  I couldn't believe the power that they had.  I can see why guys would be into this.  There was even a few female drivers.  They of course kicked butt!  

After watching the races, we walked around.  They had tents for all the teams where you could watch them fix the cars and meet the drivers.  They also had many booths to buy car parts and apparel.  It was a car flea market :)

When we got home, we were exhausted!  A long day in the sun leads to heavy eyelids!!  Little Lion had spent the day with his grandparents, and enjoyed himself with all of their attention and was bushed too. Mr. E even had a nice tan or should I say sunburn.  

Yes it was pretty amazing, but once was enough for me :)  I'll hang out with LL next time and let Mr. E hang with the boys!

Updates

Blog:

If you haven't noticed, I'm changing the look of the blog.  I think it's time for a new look.  Don't be surprised if it only stays like this for a few days or hours ;)  Beauty takes time :)

Volvo Issues:

After 3 days of me calling and leaving voicemails with the service manager, he finally found the time to call me (insert sarcasm here)!  Our first phone call he admitted that the mechanic must have made a mistake, but now he had no idea how it could have happened when his men double checked it.  Well I don't know what his men's issues are, but we were short oil!  So he said he'd refund me 50% of my bill.  Fine.  I, however, think that the Winter Park Volvo should get the rest of the money since they fixed the problem and put in new oil for FREE with zero hassle! So Fields Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo dealership in Waukesha get a 3 out of 10 in the service department and customer service for that matter.  (Hopefully google will bring some hits and save people the problems :)  All in all, I'm happy that it's finished and money will be coming our way.  

Paris Trip Update:

We booked our train tickets to London!!!!!!!  We will be there for the day and hitting all the major sites.  Prince Harry here I come....oh wait ;)  I mean Big Ben here we come :)

We also booked our apartment.  It's in the 6th district and near many sites and subway stations.  It is one bedroom with 1.5 baths with a cute cafe across the street.  It includes a computer and internet and free phone calls to the US which will be nice since we're leaving Little Lion home.  Here are some pictures from our love nest for the week ;)


I can't wait to go!  Things are falling into place nicely.  And for the money break down so far. 

Air $842

Apartment $1200

Train $208

Total: $2250

All we need to buy while there is food, admission to sites, and souvenirs :) We should be right around the $3000-3500 range.  Anyone want me to plan a trip for them?  

 

SNOW!

Here is the one and only picture of me and snow :)  Notice how LL loves the snow...He can't even look at it;)

Home Sweet Home

Yeah we are finally home from a whirlwind week.  It was non stop! I'm thankful to be back to normal and warm weather!  I must warn you that when I haven't blogged in a week, I make up for here in this one :)

Little Lion and I ended up driving up to Wisconsin with my parents on Sunday afternoon.  But before we went, I had to buy LL a jacket, hat, mittens, shoes, and black pants for myself since I don't dress up anymore (luxury of being a stay at home mom).  First off trying to find a winter jacket and hat/mittens in Florida in February is not an easy thing!  We went to several stores until I finally found one at Macy's for $7.50!!!!  

We left at 7pm in our Volvo XC90.  LL was a good boy in the car.  It didn't hurt that we brought along the Ipod touch to entertain him :)  He slept ok during the night except when we had to stop for gas at 2 am and when you get out the door the car lights go on which of course woke him up.  Plus sleeping in the upright position for 10 hours is not comfortable.  Can you blame him for being crabby???  The drive was easy with little traffic except it was windy.  We made it in good time..25 hours!  An odd observation...there was ZERO snow until we got into Wisconsin.  I take that as a sign that you shouldn't live there :)  LOL

We spent the night at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Milwaukee.  Tuesday morning, we left for Marinette.  There was a family viewing for my Grandma which LL and I didn't attend.  Instead we went out for dinner with my brother and nieces.  We were very excited to see them and miss them very much.  LL just loves his cousins!  It does help that they fawn all over him. Wednesday was the funeral.  It was a nice service.  Many of my grandma and step grandpa's friends came.  I enjoyed seeing my aunts and uncles that I don't get to see often.  I don't think that they have all been together since our wedding 5 years ago.  Here is a picture of my Dad and Mom and his 2 brothers and sister.  
After the funeral, I took my nieces out to a movie.  Yes Marinette does have a movie theater.  Granted there is only 6 movies showing ;)  We saw Mall Cop.  It was cute and it's nice to spend quality time with the girls since we don't get to do it often!

Thursday after spending more time with the family at my grandparent's house and dinner with my nieces, we headed back down to Milwaukee.  I had plans with my cousin Jess and her 2 boys to go to the Betty Brinn children's museum on Friday morning.  Plus I had an appointment with the Volvo dealership to get an oil change since I was over my mileage from driving to Wisconsin.  

Jess picks up Leo and I from the dealership and we head to the museum.  The kids had a great time playing with the train, grocery shopping, banking, and post office.  It was a nice morning after all the sadness of the week.  Here's Jess's son and LL in the grocery store and LL in the train. 

After leaving the museum, Jess and I and the kids headed back to my aunt and uncle's for lunch and naps.  We put the kids down and Jess and I caught up over a bottle of Pinot...it was 5 o'clock somewhere...right???? I really love talking with her!  We have a lot in common and she's like the long lost sister I never had.  I'm glad she was picked by my favorite cousin :)  

That evening we took the kids to Monkey Joe's which is an indoor bounce house.  The boys had a good time and the mommies did too!

Notice I'm not in any of these pictures!! Notice there is no snow pictures!! That is because I took all the pictures except for the one with LL and I in the snow which my Dad has on his camera.  You must be wondering if LL liked the snow.  Well he did NOT!  He wanted nothing to do with it as well as not wanting to wear his jacket/hat/mittens/shoes :)  LL is definitely a Florida boy at heart!!!!  

LL and I flew out on Saturday.  My parents drove my SUV the rest of the way home.  Let me say that this flight was the scariest flight I have ever been on in my life!!!!  I'm a pretty frequent flier and usually fly 1-3 a year.  But this flight was the first flight that I was truly praying to God that we would make it!  When we left Milwaukee there was  huge rain storm.  I wasn't concerned because I figured we'd fly above it or around it....WRONG!  The first 45 mins of flight were excruciating!  We were up and down and free falling.  My chest felt the pain as well as my stomach.  The lady sitting next to me was on the verge of puking and was kicking the ground in despair.  Luckily LL was sooo tired from the trip that he fell asleep instantly at take off and was never the wiser.  You could hear the anguish in the fellow passengers and all of the kids were crying (minus my sleeping child).  And just like that it was over.  The rest of the flight was smooth sailing.  Thank goodness!!!!  

Our other issue coming back was with our XC90 that my parents were driving.  After dropping us off at the airport, they get to the car and turn it on.  It tells them that the oil is low.  UMMM I just had an oil change the day before!!!  They call the Volvo dealership where I took it.  They inform my parents that no service people were there at 4 pm and they were out of luck since they aren't open on Sunday.  My Dad checked the oil and there was NONE on the dipstick!!!!  So he bought some and added it in which turned off the check oil light.  They decided to continue on and check it every couple of hours.  It wasn't an issue the rest of the trip.  Except now, I had to bring it into our dealership today and call the stupid Volvo in Waukesha to complain!  (yes if someone googles this they'll see my complaint!) Our dealership said that they must have not filled it up correctly and it wasn't leaking which is good news.  Bad news is that the stupid Waukesha dealership hasn't called me back yet!!!  That just makes me angrier!  Plus they charge double what our dealership does for the same services!  GRRRRR!!!  I'll keep you posted how this pans out.

Whew are you with me still???  All in all the trip went well.  I'm glad to have been able to go and say my good byes to my Grandma and see the family.  I hope the next time we all get together it's for a happier reason!  And on a happy family note.  Here is my cute nieces and son ;)