I realize it's been a coon's age since I did a blog so while I sit on my back porch on this exceptionally warm November day recovering from chemical inhalation ( yes I was using bleach cleaning in a confined area- sometimes my actions move faster than my brains), I thought I'd update everyone on how our life is going.

I guess the biggest change since my last update is I'm content and happy. I'm working outside the house everyday at a real job where I get paid on a regular basis and I realize how much I missed it. Donald is being Mr. Mom and is so much better at it, than I - I do believe the kids are happier too. Apparently homework is not my calling in life. I'm much better at doing sales and fixing messed up sales departments which is what I have been doing.

Financially things have been a bit challenging, but we're learning to deal and even that seems to be getting better albeit a little at a time. We're not going hungry and most of the bills are being paid so I'm good. I just got a raise after working 1 .5 months and my sales department seems to be shaping up so hopefully by early next year , I'll be making even more money and might be able to start digging out of the hole. Much to both our parents horror, I am hoping to be making enough money to sustain us so Donald can stay home - at least until the terror starts Kindergarten. It's funny to me because if it was me being home, everyone would be peachy keen with it but because we find that things work better the "non -traditional" way - we hear flack. Personally I don't care what anyone thinks. I'm happy , Donald's happy , kids are happy -nuff said!


Speaking of the terror - it seems we have a bit of a junkie on our hands. At every turn, my 4 year old "angel" is caught off in the corner sneaking candy and drinking soda , which is forbidden and he knows it. He is definitely a handful and stubborn. We've tried rewarding him , beating him, punishing him - nothing works. This morning is a perfect example. A report came up from the trenches from one of our spies ( his siblings) that while we were laying in command central , a child who was supposed to be watching TV was indeed sneaking candy and soda. When I interrogated the suspect, his simple answer was - I was thirsty. He looked at me and said" I guess I'll go to bed now ". Obviously that punishment isn't working anymore.

So his father and I came up with a devious plan for revenge. He'd make eggs for everyone and Justin would be forced to eat what he doesn't like. Muuuuhaha ( it seemed good at the time ) He complained as we predicted and Donald just said " you don't listen to me and I don't listen to you - I made what I want to , now eat the eggs" We waited for the impending tantrum. And waited. And waited. It never came. He just shrugged it off and ate his damned eggs. So in the end he got candy , soda and a nutritional breakfast and as usual we got screwed by a 4 yr old.


Although things are good here, I can't say they are sane. About two weeks ago I was fighting a minor cold when we awoke in the middle of the night to our burglar alarm system going off crazily .Now since we don't have an active system this perplexed us a bit. Upon further investigation by Donald , we realized that there was water coming in from the rain on our electrical panel. oh Joy! Donald took care of what he could and I went back to bed.

In the morning my alarm went off and I decided I would stay home and nurse my cold since I hadn't slept that well the night before. Then my mother came over to help as she usually does. Only this time she decided to feed our love bird and left the cage open. That resulted in kids screaming. The dog started chasing a love bird through the house, 4 kids started chasing the dog that was chasing the love bird and my mother started chasing the kids who were chasing the dog who was chasing the love bird. While Super Dad, saved the day by catching the bird, I decided it was quieter at work so I took a shower and went to the quiet of my job and rested there.

We had our Halloween party and it was quieter with less drama than usual so that was good. Marybeth as always went above and beyond on the party - giving us a throwing up pumpkin and a Tinkerbell cake for Hailey that was gorgeous. I of course was a witch as I feel it's always best to stay true to one's self when picking a costume.

Obviously now our next concern are the holidays that are approaching. Financially Christmas sucks but I'm sure we'll manage. Santa always seems to find a way. I've decided this year to try and relax and enjoy the holidays. After years of trying to make Christmas a Norman Rockwell event, I have finally come to the conclusion that rather than It's a Wonderful Life, our Christmases are more like Chevy Chases in Christmas Vacation! And I'm finally okay with that. There will be no pressure for a perfect Christmas and as long as the hubby gets me a few things ( B&N gift card, Bath and Bodyworks card ) I'll be good. A stocking from him and the kids would be nice but I'm not holding my breathe. I've learned to be thankful with what I get. ( I repeat that to myself over and over to make it work )

Thanksgiving this year I get to NOT COOK and go to my in laws house and then I'd venture that we'll stop by my parents house for dessert. I'm working this year so I wont be doing a shopping on Black Friday ( although I may venture out before work ).

Christmas this year falls on a Friday which allows me to stay home and enjoy my family. I'll cook on Christmas Day for us and my parents and we'll be able to spend the next day with his family. I figure by that Monday I'll be happy to escape the chaos and get back to work.

So as you can see things are pretty decent here. Donald has a computer fish board addiction that is completely unhealthy and the house still needs work, but we're doing okay. We're enjoying our kids and knock on wood, so far avoiding the swine flu so I can't complain. Give me time though - I'm sure as winter sets in, we'll have a disaster of two that I can report. Until then I'll remain true to the Pine Barrens that I now love and call home. After traveling Jersey all day for work, I'll come home to my family and my fire and curl up and watch MonsterQuest with the Mr Mom I love the most. Yes it's geeky but that's what make my life so cool.

summer life

I know it's been a while since I've posted. Trust me - it is not because my life is calm. I have been totally absorbed with finding a job. Not only do we need the money but if I don't get to socialize with other humans on a daily basis soon, I am going to need to be put in an insane asylum- oh wait - that's where I live- or at least it feels like it sometimes. Anyway - my business is on hold - ( who the hell can start one in this economy?) and I have a promising second interview set up with a company next week. Back to Princeton I go...( we hope - crossing fingers) .

Let's see we started out our summer with an awesome 3 day vacation to Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos. We had a good time although I found out that children are much more resilient than adults. That occur ed to me at 10pm one evening as I and some other tired looking mom ( after a day of non stop water park) were propped up against an elevator wall to keep from falling down and our children were bouncing around wondering what we were gonna do next. We just nodded to each other in sympathy - talking would have been too much.


A few weeks later we took a day trip ( the minivan does come in handy ) to Cape May. We went to Sunset Beach where we looked for "Cape May Diamonds"http://www.sunsetbeachnj.com/capemaydiamonds.html. We then had some - again very enthusiastic- kids that wanted to see the lighthouse and what was on top. We started the long 199 stair trek upward-with mom stopping by the alcoves on the way up to breathe. As I was catching my breathe and watching my children flit up 199 stairs like it was nothing - all I could think about - is how the heck could a lighthouse keeper do this? I mean what happened if they had to go potty? I'm thinking they carried bed pan with them- I know I would. - The mysteries of life. After our wonderful trek to the lighthouse we went to cape May beach where children frolicked and played on sand and in waves and mom laid on blanket trying to resurrect her legs. Dad stood by water so no one drowned or became shark bait. That evening in true Shearer never say die attitude we went to Wildwood- got dinner and ice cream and of course chocolate covered strawberries from Laura's.

For the 4th of July this year we went to the shore house and then off to fireworks. Of course us being who we are and having to contend with that damn Shearer cloud- the park was closed this year. So we found ourselves sprawled out on a dead end street waiting for the fireworks to start -all 13 of us- when a minivan pulled up behind us to drop off a family. As we turned to look - the minivan caught on fire. Thank goodness we were far enough back that we could stay safely where we were yet watch as one of the neighbors from the street came out with a fire extinguisher and put out the car fire for the nice Spanish family that stood outside of it looking perplexed. Then of course the fire dept came and the tow truck. It was like a pre-fireworks show. The kids of course were in their glory a fire AND fireworks- how much better could life get.

We took another exciting trip later on this month to my brother in aw Danny's house. Hailey had gone to Dee Dee's house so it was just the boys and us. Donald and Dan worked for hours on Dan's fish tank to make it pretty- unfortunately right as they were finishing, that darn Shearer cloud appeared and as Dan "tweaked" something - he broke a pipe- so there was running and draining 250 gallons very quickly to keep their living room from becoming a living reef. Needless to say we were there late. As the kids pointed out - it was already tomorrow. We pulled in our driveway and lo and behold saw nature up close and personal. We have a fox it seems. When we pulled in our driveway we met the fox who had unfortunately already met our female Guinea hen.The were already at the end of a tango. The kids were upset and wouldn't get out the van because they didn't want "to be eaten too". Finally after some calming - we got kids in and settled. I was upset but realized- ( because I had seen the Lion King ) - it simply is the circle of life.
The next day we found that the nest our guinea hen had been guarding was intact - so me being me - is playing mother nature with 12 eggs on my back porch with a heat lamp- hoping a miracle occurs and at least one hatches. We are now down to 4 chickens ( Blondie- the overgrown chicken - died unexpectedly last month ) and one very lonely male guinea hen. Our little farm is experiencing some bumps but I have no doubt that Farmer Don will take care of it ( by the way I'm still pushing for a wee little goat ).

Not much else is happening- our brand new - less than 2 months old dryer a blew circuit board so currently I am wearing some funky colors I normally never touch.( but own none the less)while we wait for parts. We're doing some school work to keep kids on track and I'm playing games on Facebook.( I refuse to update my status constantly- you want to know what I'm doing?- call me). Anyway that's about it-going away for our annual trip for Mom's birthday end of next week to start school shopping. Traveling with mom- is a blog in and unto itself so watch for that one next month. In the meantime keep your fingers crossed that I get this job and can remain as sane as I'll ever be.

The Pre -Mid Life Crisis

I'm going through a pre-mid life crisis. I know I am. Perhaps it's because I bought a minivan and discovered I LIKE it! I really like it. I think it has more to do with the fact my kids can get in and out without jumping over seats and putting sneaker marks on the slower sibling's face. It also has to do with the nice electronic doors that now prevent mommy from having to stand outside during the rain holding the door and bellowing " GET IN THE CAR AND GET BUCKLED!"- I can now do that from the comfort of the front seat. Oh the joy. PLUS my van has seats that fold into the floor flat and turn my MINI van into a CARGO van- not so dorky now is it? Won't be if my friends need help moving anything. Plus just think what I can haul home from garage sales.


Anyway right after buying the van I decided I needed chickens. Baby chickens. So I went off to Tractor Supply and surprised Donald with 6 baby chicks. ( ummm he was surprised not happy though I didn't get "permission" ) The kids were excited and named them all. Poor Tyler named the runt Lucky - unfortunately, Lucky wasn't so lucky- not even for a night and now there are 5. They have been residing on my back porch in crate with a heat lamp for the past 5 weeks. Did you know Chickens smell? To high heaven and back - especially when confined in a small warm spot. When you walked in the back you said "OOOOH someone has Chickens" long before you saw them- you usually didn't see them until after you stopped gagging from the smell. They moved out to their new home/run Saturday and are doing well. They moved due to a few reasons - the smell but also because of Monstra . Monstra's real name is Blondie. Blondie started growing quicker than everyone else in the flock She is my favorite and sits on my lap .She is now however about 5 times bigger than the next sized chick and I have been informed by my snickering husband that Blondie is mots likely not a she but a he - as in Rooster. Roosters crow - very early. Me - mornings - Rooster - hence the snickering husband.
Now about the same time the chickens moved in - the caterpillars did too. The caterpillars were Tyler's science experiment courtesy of Grandmom. So you came up the driveway - got chased by Guinea Hen - walked in the back - got greeted by chickens and smell, came in the house and had to scrape two barking dogs off you, go past two fish tanks that are bigger than most people's tubs and make your way into the dining room where you get to experience metamorphosis while dining.All the while - our love bird is serenading you from the bar room. Welcome to the Shearer Jungle. Back to my PMLC (pre-midlife crisis) -For weeks now I have been struggling to figure out who I am. As I was working Real Estate these past few months, I realized that somewhere in the fight for the kids and the adoption nightmares plus the house buying fun, I lost a part of me. Somewhere the fire started to dwindle in me. I was becoming majorly BLAH I also realized now that everything is settled with the kids and the house ( Settled not done - laundry room still pending ) I could start working on me again . I also realized that in a little over a year and a half I'll be 40. So now the goal for 40-be the best I can be. 40 is coming no matter how I look at it - but who I am when I hit it can be changed and so it begins. Goal 1- I am letting my hair grow - I liked it long and no matter what my mother says 40 is NOT too old to have longer hair. I had highlights added and I'm on my way to getting that look under control. Goal 2- get in shape I want to weigh less and be in better shape at 40-so today I started Kickboxing class at my sons' Karate school. Contrary to popular belief I did not do it to mortally embarrass my son - I decided that I have to see these people and I would be too embarrassed if I quit so I have to stick with it. As for the actual class - prior to the class everyone told me how much fun kickboxing can be - after the class I realized that in certain countries root canal is probably considered fun too. One thing is true it does relieve the pressures of the outside world. This is because the only thing you can think of is surviving the damned class. Anyway I'm beat up and sore right now but I'm heading back Thursday AM - why? 1.5 years left til 40!- Goal 3- find out what I want to be when I grow up- this is proving to be the roughest goal yet. Realtor full time isn't working - I can't imagine that working in a corporate office all day would make me happy either. I need a combination of work , inside, outside and some traveling. So after being hounded by 3 of my dearest friends, it seems I am working on opening my own business- I do marketing , business development, customer service training , trade show planning etc so why not do it as a consultant. The plans are in place and we're moving ahead-slowly -(mostly because after that kickboxing class that's the only speed I'm going to be able to go on for a bit.) - I'm attending a seminar next week on starting a business and then we're off and running. The rest of my PMLC has do with me becoming the person I am and not just this shell of a person that has been existing lately. I need to stand up for myself and take charge of my life. No one else is responsible for who I am when I reach 40 and I want to be the best version of me I can be. ( This is almost like the next version of Microsoft after the disappointing Vista version ) Stay tuned as Microsoft and I both try to shine in the next 18 months or so !

the wish list for 2009

Its quiet here. WOW! Donald is at school and my kids are in bed. So I'm sitting here quietly munching on peanut butter M & M's and drinking grape soda ( yes Wynonna can go kiss- Alli has been over for a while- not even so much the side effects, more so I don't have time to figure out how much fat is in my noodles)

I was out on the road today discussing all the things I want and cant afford and she suggested I make a list. I did this last year in Jan and 90% of my "wants" in life came true so I guess it's time to do it again ( albeit a little late).Somehow writing thing down makes them more powerful.

This year I want a big swing set for the kids ( you know you're a mom when that comes first ), my laundry room finished, a jacuzzi, my office fish tank and the play room finished. I also want better health and more romance ( just a quick note for the men - that does not always mean sex! holding hands ,snuggling on the couch, a romantic e-card ,date nights etc all count too). There are of course a ton of other things I could name but I don't want to overload my fairy godmother. I figure once my kids are old enough -I'll be angling for a convertible and an addition to the house that includes a library so I need to pace myself.

I would like to do the Memorial Day garage sales this year kid free with my hubby but I know that's pushing my luck. I am sure there is a DO NOT LOCK KIDS IN CLOSET ordinance down in Mystic.

Like I said , there tons of things I want but luckily I have the important things already - like Diesel......lol

you all thought I was going for my kids, my husband, family and friends didn't you? Come on people! You should know me by now. It's all about the dogs.....lol Speaking of which -let's add puppy to the list...... : ) You can never have too many.

In memoriam

I know it's been awhile since my last Piney update and I apologize. My life is crazy as usual but nothing that needed reporting before now. Sadly last week, last our patron chicken mascot Henrietta passed away. Since this raising of fowl is all new to us, we are not sure if it was the cold or a disease but either way she is gone. My children have assured me she is in heaven watching over us and our home so at least there is some comfort in that. We plan to get some additional chicks in the spring and I can only hope they have half of her spunk. My darling Mount Holly chicken will be missed but never forgotten.

The new life

Well we're half way through January and as I stated last things are changing. My real estate career is going in full force. We've got 2 listings so far and I am working harder than I have in years. 5 out of 7 days I have to be dressed now which I guess is a good thing. I'm working hard but funny thing though is I'm enjoying it. I guess having control will do that. I work for myself (and my business partner ) so I can't bitch about the boss.

Donald is starting school in two weeks. He has decided after all these years he wants to be a rodeo clown. Go figure. No actually he's going to school to get his Multi Dwelling Building Inspector license. Once he's done he's hoping to go work for the state so he can have all of you pay his salary!

I'm having a drink this evening because tomorrow I start the alli diet plan. The alli diet plan is supplement you take that breaks down fats. The way the plan work is you take this pill daily and if you go off diet - you get what they call "treatment side effects". Treatment side effects basically are that when you go to the bathroom - you lose a piece of small intestine and perhaps ( depending on how far off you go ) a piece of your stomach. You also may not be able to control when you might lose a piece of your stomach. It could be during a big party which would be really embarrassing . So the incentive is stay on the diet. I figure I should be dead by Friday but hey I'll be thin. Besides I figure if my only other alternative was to have someone provide shock therapy every time I go to touch a NO NO food. Since I know too many people that would get pleasure from that - I'll try this route. I really don't have a goal weight I just want to be thin enough to be able to pull off a bikini so I can embarrass my children to death ( yes mom I still remember the red dress - I swore I was never going out of the house again )

All is well with children. They are driving me nuts as usual. The day after Christmas as I looked upon piles of gifts, cardboard and wrapping paper they informed me they were gearing up for the Easter Bunny's arrival. Gotta love kids.