So Jonah and I are sitting at a stop light the other day and when it finally turned green the people in front of me took a little longer than I would have liked to find and press their gas pedal but I didn't say a word. However, my sweet impatient little Jonah yells from his carseat "Green means GO people!"
All I could do was laugh!
I find this picture so funny! There really isn't a story or interesting post to go along with the picture. I just happen to notice Riley as he was walking out of the guest bathroom downstairs after a toilet paper shredding fest (which is why we have to keep all of the bathroom doors closed).
Happy Friday!
Hope everyone had a relaxing 4th of July weekend! We stayed home and spent time hanging out with family!
Jonah spent most of the day in his pool with JJ and LaLa! 
Josh fired up his new Weber and grilled hamburgers and ribs! Yummy! 
We checked out the fireworks in McKinney at Craig Ranch! 
At first Jonah wasn't so sure about the noise but Grandma was there to protect him! 
After a few minutes Jonah was on his Daddy's shoulder checking them out! 
It was a great show! 
it's SUPER SCHNEIDER!!! 
Instead of a red cape he carries his super powerful red MOP to help rid the world of bad guys!
This is my new favorite shirt. I love finding shirts that express my current state of mind. Some of my pasts shirts have included "Desperate Housewife", "We're hungry" (when I was pregnant) and "Happy Mom". So, when I saw friend at a Junior League meeting wearing this shirt I had to have one! It clearly defines where I am right now in my life.
Don't get me wrong - I love working from home. If I couldn't work from home I wouldn't be working! I really have the best of both worlds. I take conference calls in my pj's (thank goodness we haven't implemented video conferencing yet), take naps during lunch, spend more quality time with Jonah and Josh in the mornings and evenings since I don't have to worry about fighting traffic and I'm also able to attend Jonah's school functions and events without having to take time off because of my flexible schedule. My job requires minimal travel. I take a day trip here and there but it's usually to a fun city. And what mom wouldn't enjoy a night away once in a while in a hotel room by themselves curled up with their favorite book? At home I can throw in a load of laundry between emails and thanks to my wireless card I can even take my laptop and blackberry outside, sit in my lounge chair, and soak up some sun. Plus the big bonus is the paycheck which comes in handy when I want to go on a little shopping excursion at Urban Allye.
So honestly, I really have no reason to complain but while my work situation is about as close to perfect as it gets I still feel overworked. At times my job is very stressful. I project manage multi-million dollar healthcare projects with clients that are sometimes more difficult to deal with than a 2 year old. A full blown temper tantrum in the middle of Target is nothing compared to the whining I have to listen to from a c-level client about this and that. There are times I wish I could put them in time out! I just visualize this CEO sitting indian style over in the corner with his suit and tie on! LOL!
Besides work I am still a mother which means I am always tired. Jonah is wonderful. In fact I would say he's just shy of being perfect! He's a late sleeper and for that I am so thankful but I think I'm still trying to get caught up on the sleep debt I acquired when he was a newborn. I refuse to think that it's because I'm now over 30 and I haven't visited my neighborhood Lifetime Fitness in months. Okay maybe a year but whatever. Let's just stick with sleep debt as the root cause. That combined with the fact that Josh and I haven't been on a real vacation in three years and we are constantly on the go equals one tired mommy and daddy! And I don't mean to imply with this post that I am overworked because of a lack of effort or support from Josh. Josh is an amazing husband! He has a very stressful job too, has to go into an office everday, and deal with traffic! Then he works out and plays tennis and is also always on the go. And to top if off when he comes home he cooks dinner most nights, helps out tremendously with Jonah, and does his fair share around the house! Wow - now that I think about it he does a lot more than me and I'm the one sitting here complaining about how overworked I am! Geez - maybe he deserves a shirt that says "Pooped out Papa!"
BTW If you would like your own "Overworked Mother" t-shirt check out Princess and Frogs. You won't see the t-shirt on the website but email Mandy and ask her about ordering one. She is super sweet and I had my shirt within two days of placing my order! But you better hurry because from what I understand these shirts will be featured in People Magazine pretty soon as a celebrity favorite so you know they'll sell out like crazy! She also has other cute designs as well!
Another reason it's a good thing I work from home because I let Jonah get creative and decorate my agenda each night so that I have something fun to look at the next day that reminds me of him while he's at school and I'm sitting on yet another conference call! I couldn't do this if I had to go into a conference room for a meeting! I would be forced to stare at a plain old boring agenda! 
For the first time in a while we didn't have anywhere to go over the weekend and it was great! Friday night Josh and I had a date night. Like the days before we were parents we went out to a late dinner and had sushi and then went to see a movie. Saturday morning we were back in family mode and had family pictures taken. I'm really excited to see how they turned out. Jonah was in a great mood and was such a little model for the photograher. After Jonah woke up from his nap that afternoon he decided we needed to take more photos so while Josh was at tennis we had our own photo session. Jonah even took some pictures of me. He kept saying "Smile Mommy!" We had some much needed R&R the rest of the weekend. Josh cooked dinner on Saturday and Sunday night and then we watched a couple more movies at home. Josh and Jonah spent a lot of quality time together going to the park, the tennis courts and playing in his swimming pool! It was a nice weekend and a nice break from always being on the go!
Jonah was pooped out after our family pictures! 
Having fun with Mommy's camera
Jonah's new pool
I always love a challenge! OhMommy over at Classy Chaos has challenged her readers to take and post pictures of heads! Well, I have plenty of those of Jonah especially when he's not in the mood for my "Jonah, smile for Mommy!", "Jonah, show Mommy your Happy Face!".
So, I am posting the most recent picture of Jonah's little head with his precious blond curls covered in sand from playing in the sandbox with his cousin Kayla :) What better way to represent that Summer is finally here and in full force!! 
I walk into the hallway to find this display of toys against the door in Jonah's "time out" spot!
Mommy: "Jonah, what are your toys doing in the hallway?"
Jonah: "They are in time out."
Mommy: "Why are your toys in time out?"
Jonah: "They were bad toys."
Mommy: "What did they do that was bad?"
Jonah: "They bite me!"
Mommy: "Well, that's not very nice is it?"
Jonah: "Not nice!"
As I'm sitting on the couch Jonah then proceeds to bring every toy over to me and tells each toy to tell me it's sorry - the same thing we make Jonah do when he comes out of time out. I had my doubts about how effective time out really was until this little incident.
Last weekend Jonah and I took a road trip to Austin to visit Christian. You forget how tiny they are when they are newborns even though he is already over 9 lbs! I really don't remember Jonah being that small and he only weighed 7lbs! Jonah did a great job around the baby. He was very gentle with Christian and very cautious when he was around him. He sat down beside him in the bouncy chair and showed Christian his "owie" and played "This little piggy" with Christian's toes. It was so cute! I think Jonah will make a great big brother one day! He had a lot of fun with Kayla too. We celebrated both Kayla and Jerod's birthdays with a cookout and lots of outdoor activities including water balloons, silly string, a bubble machine, and of course lots of time in the bounce house and swimming pool!
Cute Cousins! 
Proud Aunt (notice Christian is sticking his tongue out at me! LOL) 
Getting ready for some fun in the sun! 
Jonah and Kayla had a lot of fun with the water balloons! 
Happy Father's Day to a wonderful Father and Husband! Our top favorite things we love about Josh!
As a Husband:
* He makes me laugh
* He is very compassionate
* He always tries to help out his family and friends
* He is the most intelligent person I know
* He is a very dedicated and supportive husband
* He understands and accepts my obsession with shopping
* He loves being with Jonah
* He is my best friend
As a Father:
* He loves playing chase
* He will lay on the floor and hold Jonah's hand while he falls asleep
* He lets Jonah have lots of fun
* He will always be supportive of Jonah and his decisions in life
* He always picks Jonah up the moment he walks in the door
I've been tagged by Courtney.
~Each player answers the questions about themselves.
~At the end of the post, the player tags other people and posts their name, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
What was I doing 10 years ago?
10 years ago I was a sophmore at SWT, dating Josh, living in an apartment with Shannon and Vicky and enjoying the college life on Mom and Dad's dime ;)
Five snacks I enjoy-
Chips
Pistacios
Edamame
Apples and Cheese
Annie's bunny grahams
Five Things On My to do list Today-
take Riley on a walk
unpack from our weekend trip to Austin
update my blog
order a Father's Day gift for Josh
workout
Things I would do if I were a billionaire-
Travel the World with Josh and Jonah
Help Josh start his own political lobbying firm
Donate to our favorite charities and volunteer more often
Buy a house somewhere outside of the US in an exotic location
Make sure our family was taken care of financially
Hire a personal chef, housekeeper (that also does laundry), live-in nanny, and a trainer
Five Jobs that I have had -
Activities Coordinator for a retirement community in college
Area Manager for a healthcare company (first real job out of college)
Business Analyst for a healthcare company
SAHM
Project Manager for a healthcare company
Five of my bad habits-
Biting my nails
Not filling my car up with gas until it says "zero miles until empty"
Overfilling the dishwasher (which really irritates Josh!)
Spending way too much money
Procrastinating with house/organization projects
Five people I Want to Get to Know Better:
A nice way of saying “Tag. You’re it!” -
Amy P.
Missy
Stephanie
Amy S.
Kim K.
6 Random things:
1. I buy organic food and products whenever possible
2. I really want to learn how to use my Canon Rebel XTi and Photoshop
3. I crave Chai Tea Lattes from Starbucks
4. I would love to learn how to play the violin
5. I am addicted to blogs and the internet
6. I am nervous about having a second child
This is what happens when a two year old gets too close to your hair with a portable handheld fan! 
I finally broke down and cut Jonah's hair again! I loved loved loved his curls! But since it's summer and 100 degree weather is just around the corner I thought it would be better if we cut it shorter. Did I mention how much I loved his curls?? I think a couple of tears fell from my eyes as she snipped away those cute little blond ringlets! The good news is his hair grows back really fast! We usually have to cut it every other month. Since we cut it shorter I think he's aged by 2 years. He looks like such a little boy with his short hair!
Before the cut (BTW..this is the cute vintage shirt that Josh had to buy! hehe) 
After the cut 
Here's a picture of Jonah wearing the Harvard shirt I brought back from my trip to Boston last week. 
I think this is a sign that he's definitely bound for Harvard Medical School. What do you think??
We had a somewhat relaxing Memorial Day weekend! We cooked all weekend and spent most of our time outside grilling, working in the yard, and playing with Jonah. Our friends John and Susan came over for a barbeque and then we went to a concert and fireworks show in Adriatica Village which was fun. We only had one trip to the Acute Care Clinic for Kids which was pretty good for us! Poor Jonah, he took his shoes off while we were outside working in the yard and somehow managed to step on the hedgetrimmer laying in the grass! One cut to his foot, a lot of blood, some dermabond, and one cool pair of purple surgical gloves later he was back in full swing! I'm just glad he didn't need stitches! He was very proud of his "owie" and had to show everyone.
 |
 |
| Make a Smilebox slideshow |
Yes, I am a little behind on my blog posts. So behind that I didn't even get a chance to post the pictures of the shower I hosted for Amy before she had Christian! We held the shower one week before he decided to make his arrival into the world so we barely made it!! I was so worried she was going to go into labor during the shower! I guess if she had, Christian would have had a lot of guests visiting him in the hospital! Anyway, we had a great time with family and friends and Christian received a lot of wonderful gifts!
I love the sandals and hat! Everything's so cute when it's this small! 
Their little "Aggie" will stay nice and warm with this blanket! 
This was our gift! Isn't it so cute?? You can have one for your very own from www.wordsindesign.com. She writes out the name using a nursery rhyme or bible verse. I chose Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for Christian. Then Amy can place her own picture of him behind the name! I just love this idea. 
Yummy cupcakes from Tart
Jonah enjoying one of the yummy cupcakes
Cute picture of Jonah and Kayla in the bathtub after devouring yummy cupcakes 
My parents celebrate 50 years of marriage today! That's a milestone that is rarely heard of today and that most couples never reach!
My parents met in 1957 and married one year later in 1958! My dad had just finished college and serving his time in the Marines. They moved around all over the country from city to city since my dad worked in the oil and gas industry. My oldest brother was born in 1959 and then they had their second son in 1965. I came into the picture a little later in 1976 :) That's when my mom decided they would settle down in our small hometown. My dad has always traveled for work while my mom stayed home with the kids! My mom is an excellent cook and was completely devoted to raising her children and taking care of our household affairs while my dad worked away for months at a time. I recall a memory from my childhood of my mom putting on my dad's wader's, grabbing a shotgun, and taking care of a water moccasin that had made it's way up to our front porch from the pond in front of our house! As kids we loved it when our dad traveled because then we would take vacations to see him and it gave us a lot of exposure to traveling while we were young. My dad put in a lot of hard work and finally started his own company while I was in High School so he could be home but then he eventually sold it. My dad loves to travel (I think I inherited those genes) so he went back to work as a contractor for another company and back to traveling when I was in college! I'm not sure he will ever retire! He is the strong father figure type with a tender heart especially when it comes to his little girl (Yes, I am still a daddy's girl!) He has been a dedicated father and husband. My parents have been through good times, great times, and even their fair share of struggles but the fact remains that they love each other very much, were and still are 100% devoted to their marriage. Even if you ask them today if they would do all over again without changing a thing, both of them reply with the same answer "Yes, definitely!"
Happy Anniversary to my parents! I love you very much and I hope you know you are an inspiration!
Josh and I welcomed a new nephew and Jonah welcomed a new cousin this week! Christian Blake Schneider made his arrival on Monday weighing in at 9lbs 3 ounces! We are so excited to have a new baby in the Schneider family! We can't wait to see him next weekend! Christian joins the House of Schneider with his sister, Kayla, mom, Amy, and dad, Jon!
I'll post pictures after I get some from Amy! I mean I don't know what's taking so long. It's not like they are busy or anything! ;) j/k
He may only be two but I have taught Jonah well in mastering the art of persuasion. The family was at the mall and I was walking through the boys section at Nordstrom’s eyeing all the cute new summer clothes. Jonah pulls a brown vintage t-shirt off the rack and proceeds to put it on as he announces to everyone “My shirt”. I pay no attention to him and keep thumbing through the racks. As I’m strolling along I overhear a conversation emerging between Josh and Jonah.
Josh – “Jonah, that’s not your shirt. You need to take it off and put it back on the hanger so we can put it back on the rack.”
Jonah – “My shirt.”
Josh – “Jonah, take off the shirt.”
Jonah - “My shirt. I want it.”
Josh – “Take it off now.”
Jonah – “I like it. My shirt.”
Josh – “Fine, take it off so we can pay for it.”
Jonah takes off the shirt and hands it back to Josh. I watch him as he walks up to the counter to pay with Jonah. It is then that I casually walk up to the counter and ask, “What are you doing?”
Josh replies with a slight tinge of frustration in his voice. “Buying Jonah this shirt” Forty dollars and some change and one vintage t-shirt later Josh is walking Jonah back to the dressing room to change into his new shirt (Jonah is so smart he even picked up the correct size - 2T) Josh smiles at me as he walks by and says “I decided to choose my battles today.” (a comment I use often during outings with Jonah these days)
While they are changing Jonah’s shirt I walk over to the Shoe Department and pick up a cute pair Dolce and Gabbana heels. Josh walks up and says “What are you doing?”
I reply – “My shoes.”
Tonight Jonah decided to take a tumble off the back of our couch head first onto our wood floor! It was like I was watching it happen in slow motion and couldn't get there fast enough to catch him and break the fall! That clip is engraved in my memory forever. As he was falling visions of the ER flashed before my eyes and there was a dead silence in the air as if my Mommy radar had kicked in and blocked all other sounds to listen for the breaking of a bone. But luckily he hit just right and the only injury he suffered was scraping his little foot on the corner of the desk as he was falling. At first he was in shock and then the wailing began. After a bag of ice, an examination with a flashlight for dilation of the pupils, making him sing his ABC's, and several kisses to his "ouchie" I concluded that he was okay and we did not need to bother his pediatrician at home.
After Jonah calmed down he asked me to "put the couch in time out!" I tried to explain to him that the couch did not have to go to time out because the couch did not do anything wrong. The couch did not make him stand up on the back of the cushion and fall. Jonah did that on his own even though Mommy has asked him several times not to stand on the couch. I hate that he had to fall and I'm so thankful that he is okay but I hope that this little tumble taught him a lesson and he will sit instead of stand on the couch from now on!
Fast forward an hour or so and we are in Jonah's bathroom running his bath. As I am testing the water to make sure it's not too hot, Jonah opens his drawer and finds his new big boy toothpaste. The toothpaste with fluoride in it. The toothpaste that the pediatric dentist recommended we start using but that came with strict instructions to only use a rice size amount for each brushing. Well, when I turned around to put Jonah in the tub I see the tube of toothpaste stuffed in his mouth as he is squeezing yummy berry sparkle flavored toothpaste into his chubby little cheeks. Did I mention that I am so ready for Josh to come home??
I snatch the toothpaste out of his hands and pry his mouth open only to see a blue berry sparkle colored tongue. When I ask him how much toothpaste he swallowed he replies with a "huh" I don't know what kind of response I was expecting from a two year old. So, I made a call to Poison Control and Suzanne and I (we are on a first name basis) had a nice chat about the effects of fluoride on a two year old. Just a tip for all the moms out there - The only way toothpaste will harm a child is if they swallow an entire regular size tube of toothpaste and that's a lot of berry sparkle! She instructed me to give him a glass of milk because the calcium would bond with the flouride and he would pass it. Good info to know but I think I'll keep a very close eye on him tonight while he his sleeping! I'll make sure to turn the monitor up extra loud and listen for any unusual bodily noises or movement.
I'm building quite the repertoire with Poison Control these days! If you need to know the effects Comet will have on a 1 1/2 year old give me a call and we can talk.
Referring to yesterday's post, was my instinct right? Is this the life I have to look foward to with a boy..... Tumbles and falls and Poison Control calls??
